Building soil suppressiveness against plant-parasitic nematodes

Abstract

Damage caused by plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) represents significant losses in agriculture worldwide. Sustainable and non-agrochemical practices have been sought out for the last few years aiming the reduction of PPN outbreaks, as such practices represent less interference in the soil health. In addition, certain soils naturally show high levels of suppressiveness against nematodes. Natural suppressive soils do not allow PPN increment by a balance in soil biotic and abiotic conditions. Such soils must be better understood by which components are responsible for their natural suppressiveness. Hence, keeping, stimulating or and even creating suppressive conditions in agricultural rhizosphere has been studied and applied to reduce PPN populations. There are many aspects that implicate in soil suppressiveness against PPN, such as microbiota activities, organic matter amount, chemical composition and physical constitution. However, any of those conditions is a single driver in suppressive soils against PPN. In this context, we intend to bring up an overview concerning the natural occurrence of suppressive soils against the most devastating PPNs worldwide and discuss the means used to induce suppressiveness in agricultural fields by sustainable management practices.