Management Alternatives for Pratylenchus brachyurusin the Soybean Crop

In the Maranhão cerrado, Pratylenchus brachyurus phytonematoid is present in soybean plantation areas, occurring significant losses. At this aspect, the aim was to evaluate the effect of crop succession in the reduction of population and damage of P. brachyurus on soybean. Treatments consisted of soybean cultivation on soybean (T1, control) and soybean cultivated in succession on the “straw” of Crotalaria ochroleuca (T2), C. spectabilis + millet ‘ADR 300’ (T3), millet ‘ADR 300’ T4), Brachiaria ruziziensis (T5), maize ‘GNZ 2005’ + B. ruziziensis (T6) and maize ‘GNZ 2005’ (T7). The following characteristics were evaluated- P. brachyurus infestation in soil and plant height, plant height, productivity, number of plants per plot, number of pods per m², number of pods per plant, number of grains per plant, number of grains per pod, mass of a thousand grains, total mass and dry matter The highest populations of P. brachyurus have been found in conventional soybean cultivation on soybean, or when grown on maize straw ‘GNZ 2005’, B. ruziziensis and maize ‘GNZ 2005’ + B. ruziziensis. In turn, small populations of phytonematoid occurred in the succession of the soybean with C. ochroleuca, millet ‘ADR 300’ and systems consortium of these two cultures. In order to improve soybean yield in the Maranhão cerrado, it is recommended to use C. spectabilis during the off-season, as an option to reduce the population of P. brachyurus, as well as in the intercropped intercrop with ‘ADR 300’ millet and on its single crop.