NC State Extension Publications

Introduction

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Sting nematode is a minor pest of soybeans in North Carolina, but can cause significant damage where it is found in high populations. Sting nematodes have a wide host range, which can make population management difficult. Damages may be easily confused with other nematode injuries or root rot pathogens, and confirmation with diagnostic lab samples is important.

Pathogen

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Sting nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) of soybean is a plant parasitic ectoparasitic (feeds on the outside of roots and survives in the soil) that is broadly distributed in the United States, especially in high sand content soils. The nematode is worm-like (vermiform) throughout its life cycle. Damages from sting nematode may also be synergistic with other vascular diseases, like Fusarium wilt. The nematode cannot be visualized with the unaided eye, unlike root knot nematode or soybean cyst nematode, and requires a microscope for identification.

Host Range

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Sting nematode has a wide host range including fruits and vegetables (e.g. beans, carrot, corn, crucifers, and potato, strawberry), agronomic crops (e.g. cotton, peanut, sorghum, soybean and corn), turfgrasses and common forestry commodities like pine.

Symptoms

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Young plants may have reduced vigor and stunting. Under high population densities, have seed germination, young plants may completely stop growing and eventually die. Affected plants may yellow, resembling nutrient deficiencies. Chronic wilting may also be observed in affected plants due to compromised root systems.

Disease Cycle and Conditions Favorable for Disease

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Sting nematodes require mating to produce viable offspring, and both male and female nematodes can be found in most populations. Sting nematodes survive as eggs and hatch to a motile juvenile stage (J2). J2 nematodes move through water films in the soil to soybean roots and feed on root hairs until they molt to the next growth stages that feed on major or lateral roots. The entire life cycle is completed in about one month. Optimal temperatures for nematode reproduction is 86°F (30°C), but nematodes can move vertically in soil in response to temperature.

Management

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Due to the wide host range, especially those of common soybean rotational crops like corn, crop rotation may not be effective. Managing weed hosts, especially grass weeds, is important to limiting the survival of nematodes in a given field. Nematicide seed treatments are often not effective in high nematode populations, and other chemical controls (e.g. contact nematicides or fumigants) should be considered in fields with high populations.

Useful Resources

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The North Carolina Department of Agriculture Nematode Assay Lab provides soil nematode assay information and has sampling strategy recommendations available for producers.

The NC State University Plant Disease and Insect Clinic provides diagnostics and control recommendations.

The NC State Extension Plant Pathology portal provides information on crop disease management.

The North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual provides pesticide information for common diseases of North Carolina. The manual recommendations do not replace those described on the pesticide label, and the label must be followed.

Acknowledgements

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This factsheet was prepared by the NC State University Field Crops and Tobacco Pathology Lab in 2020.

Authors

Research Assistant
Entomology & Plant Pathology
Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist
Entomology & Plant Pathology

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Publication date: Sept. 9, 2020

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N.C. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status.