The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-01-25

mated by means OF the fungus that
causes the wilt disease. Drainage wa.
ter is perhaps one of the most import
ant means of spreading root-knot.
Nursery stock also is a common agen-
cy for the Introduction Of the nema.
tode into new territory. Seeding pe-
cans, peaches, figs. mulberry, tobacco.
and tomato plants from infested sec
lions may carry the worms in their
roots on in the soil adhering to them.
In the west, where the nematode &C.
ours commonly in certain sections on
the potato, the worms are carried in
the tubers.
Root-knot Attacks Many Other Crops.
Unlike wilt, root-knot attacks a very
large number of plants, many of which
are important farm crops. Those sub
1ect to root-knot injury may be divided
into two groups, according to their de-
gree Of susceptibility. The crops most
| severely attacked by root-knot are as
follows: Sowbean, beet, cantaloupe.
carrot, celery, bur clover, crimson
clover, all varieties of cowpeas Tex
cept Iron and Brabham and other
Iron Hybrids), cucumber, eggplant, fig.
lettuce, okra, peach, pecan. pomegran-
ate, potato, satisfy. squash, tobacco,
tomato and watermelon.
Plants less severely injured by root
knot are the following: alfalfa, as
paragus, lima bean, snap bean, cab
bage, sweet clover, collard, cotton,
Mulberry, onion garden pea, sweet DO
tato, radish, spinach, strawberry, sug.
ar cane, common vetch, hairy vetch.
! A few common weeds are subject to
nematode injury and should therefore
be eradicated where the attempt is be-
ing made to reduce root-knot in fields.
The most severely injured are the bal
loon vine, the maypop or passion
flower, and the papaya or melon paw
paw. Weeds less severely affected
by root-knot are mayweed. purslane,
and sweet fennel.
Such varieties Of cowpeas as the
whippoorwill, clay, black, unknown,
red ripper new era, and others are so
susceptible to root-knot that not only
are they seriously injured, but the
growing of them on nematode-infected
fields greatly increases the number of
worms in the soil, and consequently
the damage to subsequent cotton OIL
other susceptible crops. 1t is COM
mon complaint of farmers in wilt Sec
tions that the wilt is noticably more
severe after a crop of cowpeas of
variety which is susceptible to root
knot. This is due to the fact that the
nematodes make points of entrance foi
the wilt fungus, which then kills OF
further Injuries the plants. There are
few varieties of cowpeas which are
highly resistant to nematodes, includ-
ing the Iron and the brabham and
other iron hybrids. These should be
the only compass planted on land in.
tested with root-knot.
Control Measures for Root-knot.
The rotation and Investigation of
crops are of fundamental Importance
to southern agriculture everywhere
and become absolutely necessary
where the root-knot nematode is pres
ent. The principles on which such 70,
tations are based are az the use of
| crops immune to nematode attacks
until the nematodes are sufficiently
reduced so that susceptible crops may
be proftably grown; and (2) the Grad
ication of all weeds subject to root
knot The use of crops that will re-
turn profit and the building up of
the fertility Of the soil are also i'm.
portant considerations, and every
farmer must work out for himself the
particular rotation suited to his farm.
II land is very badly infested with
nematodes as well as wilt, a two or
three year rotation with immune crops
is recommended before susceptible
crops should be repeated When the
susceptible crops should not be grown
for more than one or two years there
after before the rotation with immune
corps should be repeated. When the
disease Is less severe, a one or two.
year rotation will do much to put the
land in condition.
The following is a list of crops
which are largely or entirely immune
to root-knot: Barley, velvet beans,
Florida beggarweed, chufas, corn,
brabham coypea, iron cowpea, iron n.y.
brid cowpea, bermuda grass, crab
grass, nearly all grasses, kafir, nearly !
all milletts, winter oats, peanuts. rye,
sorghum, wheat, milo.
The susceptible crops previously
listed should never follow one another |