Nematicidal and fertilizing impact of argan, castor and neem cake on organic cucurbits
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
185
Nematicidal and fertilizing
impact of argan, castor and neem
cake on organic cucurbits
(cucumber and melon) grown under
greenhouse in Agadir region
(southwestern of Morocco)
K. AZIM1, Z. FERJI2 & L. KENNY2
1 - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, CRRA Agadir BP : 124 Inzegane
80350, Morocco. Email : azim.khalid@yahoo.fr
2 - Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II. CHA, BP 18/S Agadir, Morocco.
Email: ferji@iavcha.ac.ma;
kenny@iavcha.ac.ma
Summary
The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of oil cake amendments (argan; neem; castor
cake and ground castor leaves) on the control of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), affecting
cucumber and melon; on soil fertility; on agronomic parameters of cucumber under greenhouse in
south-western Morocco. In cucumber growing-greenhouse, experimental results showed a reduction
of gall formation, soil nematodes density, root rot infestation, and improvement of plant height and
yield as compared to the control. Argan cake improved yield 112% more than the control. Generally,
argan cake gave better results compared to the other treatments. In pots experiment on melon,
maximum suppression (100%) of root knots and soil larvae population were found with argan; castor
cake and ground argan shoot; while neem cake was less effective. Argan cake resulted in 24% increase
in fresh weight compared to the infested control, while ground argan shoot enormously decreased
both height and weight.
Keywords: Organic agriculture, Meloïdogyne spp., argan cake, castor, neem, cucurbits.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011186
L’effet nématicide et fertilisant des tourteaux d’argan, ricin et neem sur les
cucurbitacées biologiques (concombre et melon) cultivées sous serre dans la
région d’agadir (sud du maroc)
résumé
Le but de ce travail est d’évaluer l’effet nématicide des tourteaux d’argan, neem, ricin et du
broyat de ricin sur Meloidogyne spp.,qui affecte le concombre et le melon, ainsi que leurs effets sur la
fertilité du sol, la croissance et le rendement du concombre et du melon sous serre dans le sud-ouest
du Maroc. Sur le concombre, les résultats expérimentaux ont montré une réduction des galles, de
la densité des nématodes dans le sol, de l’infestation des racines. Parallèlement, l’accroissement de
la hauteur des plantes et de leur rendement a été mis en évidence par rapport au témoin infesté. Le
tourteau d’argan a amélioré le rendement de 112% par rapport au témoin positif. Généralement, le
tourteau d’argan a assuré des résultats plus performants que les autres traitements. Dans l’essai en
pots sur le melon, la suppression maximale (100%) des galles et des larves J2 a été obtenue par les
tourteaux d’argan, de ricin et le broyat d’argan. Le tourteau d’argan a déterminé un gain de 24% du
poids frais comparé au témoin infesté, tandis que le broyat d’argane réduit considérablement tant la
hauteur que le poids.
Mot clés : Agriculture biologique, Meloïdogyne spp, tourteau d’argan, ricin, neem, cucurbitacées
Introduction
In organic agriculture, nematode control is essentially done by preventive measures. Several
tools and strategies (cover crops; crop rotation; soil solarization and resistant varieties…) work
best in healthy soil with sufficient organic matter. A well balanced soil ecosystem will support a wide
variety of biological control organisms that will help keep nematode pest populations in check (Dufour
and al, 2003). Vegetable crops are attacked by a wide range of nematodes, but root-knot nematodes
(Meloïdogyne spp.) are probably their most serious enemies, with certain predilection for melon and
cucumber (Bertrand, 2001). In Morocco, the most frequent species is M. javanica (Chahidi, 1985;
Ferji and De Waele, 1998). Chahidi (1985) signaled a frequency of 85.7% of infestation in the region
of Souss-Massa (Agadir).
As biological mean, several oil cakes have been tested for their anti-nematodes effect. Cakes of
mustard Brassica juncea (Akhtar and Alam, 1991), of olive (Hossain and al., 1992), of cotton (Abid and
al., 1992), of the neem Azadirachta indica (Akhtar, 2000), of castor Ricinus communis and ground
castor (Laghdaf, 2004). Others appeared efficient against several nematodes, especially Meloidogyne
spp. By the way, cakes of oleaginous plants seem especially to be efficient against nematodes (Singh
and, 1986). The organic amendments (neem, castor and ground castor) have also a fertilizing effect,
they enrich soil with organic matter, in total nitrogen as well as in phosphorus; they also have
increased tomato yield by 15% compared to the control in Souss-Massa region (Laghdaf, 2004).
Two experiments have been undertaken to evaluate the impact of oil cakes in controlling
nematodes, and fertilizing performance as organic amendments on soil fertility and cucumber/
melon agronomic parameters under greenhouse conditions in Souss-Massa region (southwestern of
Morocco).
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011187
Experiment 1: Effect of the oil cakes on nematodes, cucumber
yield and height and soil fertility (field experiment)
MATERIALS AND METHODS
a. Amendments
The soil has a sandy texture, and fairly alkaline. It is poor in organic matter and in total nitrogen.
Its contents in major elements are low. Castor cake (CC) and neem cake (NC), were imported from
Srilanka (southeastern Asia). The dose used is 5 T/ha (Ctifl, 2001). They are organic amendments
with mainly nematicidal action in addition to their fertilizing effect. The ground cake (GC) (Ricinus
communis) is made of ground shoot: leaves, branches and seeds. Before grinding, shoots should be
dried in an oven at a temperature of 70°C and a relative humidity equal to 75%. The dose used is
200g/plant, this dose is sufficient for highly soil nematode density, and don’t cause phytotoxicity
(Ferji, Pers. Comm). Cakes of oleaginous plants seem, especially to be efficient against nematodes;
argan by products particularly oil cake are therefore one of these products that can exert an anti-
nematode effect on nematodes (Kenny, Pers. Comm).
The amendments have been done on a sandy loamy soil heavily infested with root knot nematodes
(Meloidogyne spp.) with an average of 487 J2.500cc-1 of soil. The light intensity and nematodes
density were two gradients of suspected heterogeneity. Thus a complete randomized bloc was used
with 6 replicates. Each bloc contains 5 experimental units with 18 plants per each one. Cucumber
transplantation was done 20 days after the amendment.
The statistical analysis has been made by the SPSS 10.fr software for the analysis of the
variance, and the multiple mean comparisons was made according to the test of Student Newman
and Keuls with 5% risk level.
a. Effect of oil cake amendments on Meloidogyne spp. Population
Soil samples were taken once before the amendment and each month after the transplantation.
Nematodes extraction was performed using the method of Baermann (1917), and the numbering
was done under the binocular gnarl (40X) based on the morphological characters of J2 larvae. At
the end of the cropping cycle (3 months), cucumber plants have been taken out, and had their roots
indexed following Zeek (1971) method.
b. Effect of oil cakes amendment on plant growth and yield
After the transplantation, heights of five representative plants per plot were measured from the
crown to the apex each fortnight. By the other side, the cumulative and the final yield of cucumber
were recorded respectively during and at the end of the cropping cycle for each experimental unit.
c. Effect of oil cakes amendment on soil fertility parameters
A part of the same soil samples that were taken to nematode population assessment were
subjected to chemical analysis using the appropriate methods as follows: Soil pH was determined in
a soil saturated past extract (1/2.5 Extract Ratio) using a glass electrode pH- meter (Rhoades, 1982).
The EC was measured in the saturated past extract (1/5 Extract Ratio) using electrical conductivity
meter at 25°C. Soil organic matter (OM) content was analyzed by WALKLEY and BLACK Method;
KJELDAHLS method for total nitrogen; OLSEN method for available phosphorus and WIKLANDER
method for exchangeable potassium.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011188
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
After the amendment of the oil cakes, the population density got extremely reduced to a few
larvae (average = 6 J2/500cc) with a very highly significant difference (at p189
Affected by root nematodes penetration, plants of control plots were smaller than those amended
with the oil cakes during the last two months (Figure 3), while in the last measurement, argan cake
amended plots resulted in plants taller than all the other treatments including the control (at 0.05
P level).
Figure 3: Plant heights from the transplantation till the end of the cropping cycle
The yield evolution had more or less the same tendency as the cucumber plant heights, with
the high productivity of argan cake amended plots as compared to the other treatments (Figure 4).
The obtained results related to the total yield showed the positive effect of the oil cakes amendments
(Figure 5). Argan cake amended plots resulted in a yield higher 112.3%; 66.5%; 17.7% and 12.3%
respectively than the control; ground castor; castor and neem cake.
Figure 4: Yield evolution of cucumber crop
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011190
A AB AB BC C
Figure 5: Total yield of cucumber
Means that don’t have the same letters are significantly different at 0.05 P level (Student-Newman-
Keuls test). Means followed by a small letter indicate that there is significant difference, whereas those
followed by a capital letter indicate a high to very high significant differences.
In general, amending oil cakes improve the soil fertility, and increase the soil organic matter content
and some major elements that are required for the intense nutrients uptake of cucumber under
greenhouse conditions. Argan and neem cake improved the soil organic matter; total nitrogen; available
phosphorus and exchangeable potassium, more than the other treatments including the control.
A. Experiment 2: Effect of oil cake on nematodes population, melon growth and
galling index (pots experiments)
MATERIALS AND METHODS
a. Amendments
Six treatments were tested: an untreated infested control (Positive control=PvC) and a nematode
free control (Negative control=NvC) were added, in order to evaluate the impact of the pest on plant
growth; neem cake (NC), castor cake (CC); argan cake (AC) and ground Argan dry shoots (ADS). The
last used product was among tested treatments, because once the argan cake is a by-product of
oil argan seed production, the active substance present in the seeds will be probably elaborated in
leaves and twigs, thus ground argan shoot could also contain this active substance (Kenny, pers.
comm). The doses applied were 5 T/ha (Ctifl, 2001), and since the crop density was 1.7plant/
m², each plant received 300g. Taking into consideration that this experiment has been taken in pots
under greenhouse conditions where climate is homogeneous, a completely randomized design was
chosen, with one factor (treatments of oil cake amendment) and 5 replicates.
b. Effect of oil cakes amendment on nematode density and root knot index
At the end of the experiment (45 days after melon transplantation), five soil samples were taken
out from each pots, every sample weights approximately 1.5kg prior to nematodes numbering. The
method of root knot index consists on classifying number of galls on root system according to the
ladder established by Taylor and Sasser (1979).
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011191
c. Effect of oil cakes amendment on melon growth
Heights of the 5 plants were measured at the end of the trial which lasted for 45 days. Plant
height (cm) was measured from plant collar to the top of the plant apex. Plants Fresh weight of
each treatment was measured at the end of the trial after taking them out from soil. Dry weight was
measured after drying the plants into an oven at 70°C during 48 hours.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Untreated infested pots (PvC) demonstrated statistically the highest number of J2 larvae (Table
1), while there were no larva present in soils of the other treatments except the one of neem cake that
showed few larvae (average = 1.75). By the other hand, and referring to the root knot index (RKI),
positive control (PvC) presented more than 31 knots on melon roots (RKI=4.5) and was significantly
higher compared to the other roots. Plants which were amended with neem cake demonstrated an
average of 1 knot on their roots, whereas castor, argan cake and argan dry shoot didn’t show any
knot on melon roots.
Table 1: Number of larvae J2/500cc of soil and Galling Index on melon roots
Means that don’t have the same letters are significantly different at 0.05 P level (Student-Newman-Keuls
test).
Means followed by a small letter indicate that there is significant difference, whereas those followed by
a capital letter indicate a high to very high significant differences. Root Knot Index (Taylor and Sasser,
1979): “0”: no gall. “1”: 1 to 2 galls. “2”: 3 to 10 galls. “3”: 11 to 30 galls. “4”: 31 to 100 galls. “5”: more
than 100 galls.
Treatments J2/500cc of soil Root Knot Index
Argan cake 0 B 0 C
Neem cake 1,75 B 1 B
Castor cake 0 B 0 C
Argan dry shoot 0 B 0 C
PvC 87 A 4,5 A
NvC 0 B 0 C
Plants height at the end of the trial period is shown in the Figure 6. Plants amended with argan; neem
cake and plants of positive and negative control demonstrated similar heights according to the test of
S-N-K (at 0.05 P level). Plants amended with castor cake showed lower heights with 108% less than
the first group. This result can be explained by the fact that castor cake could have a phytotoxic effect,
because plants remained at seedling heights till about 35 days after transplanting than they start to
grow normally. Phytotoxic substances could be leashed by irrigation water. The effect of ground castor
on plant growth in general can confirm the hypothesis of its phytotoxicity validated by Tiyagi and Alam
(1995). On the other hand, plants amended with ground argan shoot didn’t grow at all; this also can be
owed to the same reason.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011192
A A B
C A A
Figure 6: Plants height of melon with respect to different treatments
Means that don’t have the same letters are significantly different at 0.05 P level (Student-Newman-
Keuls test).
Means followed by a small letter indicate that there is significant difference, whereas those followed
by a capital letter indicate a high to very high significant differences.
Concerning the fresh weight represented in Figure 7, statistical analysis of the test of S-N-K (at
0.05 P level) revealed very high differences between plants amended with argan cake and the positive
control (C+). Argan cake brought 24% more in weight than the positive control (infested untreated);
whereas values of neem cake and negative control were statistically intermediate. Castor cake in
reason of its potential phytotoxicity caused low plant weight statistically different from first said
treatments and the one of ground argan dry shoot. The last had made the plant remain at seedling
stage.
A AB C D B AB
Figure 7: Plants fresh weight of melon in response to the different treatments
Despite the fresh weight, dry weight is represented in Figure 8. Plants of nematode free pots had
a dry weight statistically higher with 23.3% than argan treated plants (according to the test of S-N-K;
at 0.05 P level). Positive control and neem cake treated plants gave an intermediate values. Plants
amended with castor cake had dry weight reduced 5 times than positive control plants, whereas
ground argan dry shoot could not grow and develop regular biomass. Potential phytotoxicity had
influenced negatively the growth of melon plants.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011193
Figure 8: Plants dry weight of melon in response to different treatments
Conclusions
The tested oil cakes in general, reduced extremely the population of Meloidogyne spp. in the soil
within the first two months. Argan cake as tested for the first time, showed similar performance in
controlling the soil free J2, and better qualities as cucumber root damages are concerned. Ground
argan shoot showed pertinent results in controlling Meloidogyne spp. as compared to the other known
oil cake amendments used on melon.
In general, amending oil cakes improve the soil fertility, and increase the soil organic matter
content and some major elements. Argan and neem cake improved better the soil organic matter; total
nitrogen; available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium what make them advisable for further
fertilization programs.
As cucumber yield is concerned, argan cake resulted in 112% of yield increase as compared to
the control, while neem cake gave 89%. Oil cake amendments increase the height of cucumber; but
on melon, only argan and neem cake showed relevant results whereas the ground argan shoot and
castor neem caused phytotoxicity what stunted the plants. Melon biomass was improved by argan
and neem cake, whereas its reduction was observed with ground argan shoot and castor cake as a
result of phytotoxicity.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011194
References
Abid, M.; Haque, S. E.; Maqbool, M. A. and Ghaffar, A. (1992). Effects of oilcakes, Bradyrhizobium
sp., Paecilomyces lilacinus and Furadan on root nodulation and root-knot nematode in mungbean.
Pakistan Journal of Nematology. 10 : 145-150.
Akhtar, M. and Alam, M. M. (1991). Integrated control of plant-parasitic nematodes on potato with
organic amendments, nematicide and mixed cropping with mustard. Nematologia Mediterranea. 19 :
169-171.
Bertrand, C. (2001). Lutter contre les nématodes à galles en agriculture biologique. GRAB (édition :
Janvier 2001). Pp : 1-4.
Chahidi, A. (1985). Contribution à l’étude de la nématofaune associée à la culture du bananier dans
la région d’Agadir. Mémoire de fin d’étude, Phytiatrie, 3ème cycle, IAV Hassan II-Complexe Horticole
d’Agadir. Pp : 26.
Chriki, A.; Ballouk, A.; Houjjaji, A.; Adnan, A.; Bacha, L. ; Addebbous, R. (2003). L’huile d’argan,
un produit de terroir: quel stratégie pour sa valorisation. Terre et vie n°70 (Juillet 2003).
Dufour,R.; Guerena, M. and Earles, R. (2003). “Alternative Nematode Control ». In: Pest
Managment Technical Notes (ATTRA Publications: www.attra.ncat.org). Pp: 1.
Ferji, Z. and De Waele, D. (1998). Occurrence, abundance and distribution of nematodes on banana
grow in plastic greenhouse in south Morocco. Proceedings of the 24th international nematology
symposium. Dundee, Scotland U.K. Pp: 35.
Hossain, M. S. ; Zahid, M. I. and Mian, I. H. (1992). Effect of decomposition period on the efficacy
of two oil cakes for control of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Japanese Journal of
Nematology. 22 : 1-10.
Khallouki F, Spiegelhalder B, Bartsch H and Owen RW (2005). Secondary metabolites of the argan
tree (Morocco) may have disease prevention properties. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (5),
Pp. 381-388.
Laghdaf, T. (2004). Effet des amendements organiques et quelques produits chimiques et
biosynthétiques sur les nématodes à galles de la tomate dans le Souss-Massa. Mémoire de fin d’étude,
Phytiatrie, 3ème cycle, IAV Hassan II. Complexe Horticole d’Agadir. Pp : 69-79.
Singh, S. P., Veena, A.M. Khan, and S.K. Saxena. (1986). Changes in the phenolic contents, related
rhizosphere mycoflora and nematode population in tomato inoculated with Meloidogyne incognita as
a result of soil amendment with organic matter. Indian journal of nematology, 15(2):197-201.
Actes du Premier Congrès International de l’ Arganier, Agadir 15 - 17 Décembre 2011You can also read
