Crop rotation combined with bionematicides for Pratylenchus brachyurus management in soybean

The integration of nematode management strategies is an increasingly relevant focus of research. This study assessed the efficiency of cover crops combined with bionematicides in managing Pratylenchus brachyurus in soybean. The experiment used pots with a soil-sand mix. Soybean cultivar M6410 IPRO was planted and inoculated with 500 P. brachyurus per pot. At the end of the soybean cycle (R8 stage), they were harvested and the pots sown with the P3858 PWU maize hybrid, Urochloa ruziziensis (Ur), Ur + millet, Ur + pigeon pea, Ur + Macrotyloma axillare 'Java', Ur + buckwheat, or a seed mix containing Ur, millet, pigeon pea, and buckwheat. After 85 days, the cover crops were cut, and wheat was grown for 110 days. After wheat harvest, pots were sown with untreated soybean seeds (control) or seeds treated with Bacillus subtilis + Bacillus licheniformis + Purpureocillium lilacinum, or P. lilacinum + Trichoderma harzianum. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, using a 7 (cover crop) × 3 (bionematicide) factorial scheme. After 110 days (2022 trial), soybean crops were harvested and evaluated for nematological variables and grain yield. The process was repeated for the 2023 trial. Cover crops and bionematicides significantly reduced P. brachyurus, with 73.8% control in roots and 76.4% in soil in 2022, and 76.4% in roots and 90.7% in soil in 2023. These practices also increased grain yields by 43.9 to 65.7% in the 2023 season.