Fallow Land

 Many soilborne pests can be controlled by depriving them of suitable plants upon which

to feed (Christie, 1959). However, allowing a parcel of land to remain fallow for a period of

time has several limitations. First, cost to growers may inhibit the option for land to remain

fallow. In addition, when allowing a field to be fallow, introduction of weedy species can

harbor pests and actually negatively affect the reduction of nematodes. Minton and Parker

(1987) found that nematodes were higher in the fallow plots, versus plots that were planted in

rye during the fallow period. It was suggested that weeds that took over the fallow plot may

have been a better host to the nematode than the plot in rye. It has also been found that clean

fallow, such as treatment of a field with herbicides to control weeds, can reduce root knot

nematode. However, this method is not recommended for Florida due to the loss of organic

matter, which may dry and erode (Rhoades et al., 1966). Use of chemicals to control weeds

is much slower in reducing populations of nematodes because the nematodes move deeper into

the soil, and are not subjected to adverse weather conditions (Noling, 1992).


Cover Crops

 The use of cover crops has been found to reduce populations of soilbore pests, however

it is dependant on the type of cover crop used. For example, the use of clover was found to be

ineffective as a cover crop due to the inability of the plant to cover the field and inhibit the

growth of other species of weeds that may present a more suitable host.