Evaluation of commercial sugar beet varieties and nematode management products against Heterodera schachtii in Imperial Valley, California

The sugar beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii) is an economically important plant-parasitic nematode that affects sugar beet and a wide range of crop plants. The pest is common throughout the western U.S., Michigan, and most of the world where sugar beet is grown. In California, this nematode is widespread in the Imperial Valley. SBCN has the potential to be very devastating to sugar beet production. Four field trials and three greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate eight commercially available sugar beet varieties for susceptibility to sugar beet cyst nematode compared to USDA susceptible and resistant check varieties. Two of the field trials also evaluated the effectiveness of the nematode management products Nimitz, MeloCon, mustard seed meal, Root Power, More Power, Seed Power and Force compared to an untreated control and 1,3-dichloropropene.  Under severely infested field conditions, the nematode tolerant variety ‘Beta 8520N’ had the highest performance in both tolerance to the pathogen and sucrose-related traits. ‘Beta 8617N’ and ‘Beta 8520N’ had the lowest number of cysts in field and greenhouse experiments. In two field trials, ‘Beta 8617N’ had a cyst nematode count similar to the USDA resistant check varieties. In more moderate infestations, these same nematode tolerant varieties had lower yields than nontolerant varieties. Results have identified commercial varieties with tolerance to sugar beet cyst nematode and that maintain needed agronomic properties. Several products tested significantly reduced Heterodera schachtii populations.