Agricultural Operations as Root-Knot Nematode Pest Management Strategy on Sugarbeet 1- Utilizing Certain Planting Dates and Sugarbeet Cultivars in Semi-arid Lands

Two field experiments were conducted to study the effect of four planting dates and four sugarbeet cultivars on Meloidogyne javanica root-knot nematode reproduction, and crop productivity and quality. Delaying the planting date of sugarbeet from August 10 to November 10 significantly reduced the numbers of the second stage juveniles of nematodes in the soil from 31,436 to 6,145,, the different stages in the root system from 3,615 to 1,296 and the final nematode population from 35,051 to 7,441, this decrease is 71.69, 48.79 and 69.30%, compared to the first planting date, respectively, while the value of the reproduction factor decreased significantly from 19.47 to 4.13-folds, compared to the initial population. The sugarbeet cultivar, Oscar Poly showed the most significant (P≤0.05) reduction in the values of the studied nematode reproductive traits, and it also achieved the highest increase in top, roots, raw sugar and recoverable sugar yields (tons/fed) at all tested planting dates, compared to the other sugarbeet cultivars. Therefore, Oscar poly cultivar is suitable for cultivation at all tested planting dates, while cultivars, Francescan, Mirador and Sandorare suitable for cultivation during the 4th planting date only in soil contaminated with root-knot nematode, M. javanica at semi-arid lands. The latest planting date for sugarbeet, compared to other planting dates, achieved the highest significant reduction in nematode reproduction rate, and the highest significant increase in sugarbeet productivity. Hence, delaying the planting date can be considered as an agricultural method for nematode control.