Nematodes: the number don’t lie (or do they?)
The research study and report, "Impact of Plant Parasitic Nematodes on the Quality of Golf Course Greens" was conducted and written over 20 years ago, but still has significant applications today. It shows that although plant parasitic nematode numbers can very often reach very high levels, most nematodes have very little impact on turf quality — especially if turf is otherwise healthy.
While there are some exceptions to these observations (see this PACE Turf Update on "Status and Control of Nematodes"), it is important to remember that because healthy turf frequently supports higher levels of nematodes than struggling turf (probably due to much greater root mass, and therefore greater sources of food for nematodes), nematode counts can be very deceiving.
In the 22 California golf courses that were surveyed in this study, we found six different genera of nematodes including (nematode names followed by the asterisk, *, were the most commonly found nematodes):
- Criconemoides* (ring nematode)
- Helicotylenchus* (spiral nematode)
- Meloidogyne* (root knot nematode)
- Paratylenchus (pin nematode)
- Trichodorus (stubby root nematode)
- Tylenchorhynchus (stunt nematode)
Read the report, "Impact of Plant Parasitic Nematodes on the Quality of Golf Course Greens"
For more information on nematode biology and management:
