Field Evaluation of Seed- and Soil-Applied Nematicides for the Management of Corn Nematodes in Arkansas

Ten commercially available non-fumigant synthetic and biological nematicides were evaluated for suppressing mid-season densities of plant-parasitic nematodes and protecting corn grain yield at two locations (Jackson and Pulaski Counties) in Arkansas from 2022 to 2025. Nematicide active ingredients consisted of abamectin, fluopyram, terbufos, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (PTA4838), B. amyloliquefaciens + cis-jasmone, B. flavus (I-1582), and Burkholderia rinojensis (A396) applied as seed treatment and/or in-furrow at planting. Nematode genera varied among site-years and included Meloidogyne spp., Paratrichodorus spp., Pratylenchus spp., and Tylenchorhynchus spp. Nematode densities were generally low or below economic thresholds for corn production in Arkansas. None of the nematicide treatments were effective in reducing nematode densities for any of the corn nematodes present or in protecting grain yield potential. These data indicate that currently available nematicides provide limited and inconsistent benefits in corn production, particularly when nematode densities for multiple genera are low.