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Cotton Tolerance to Hoplolaimus columbus and Impact on Population Densities

Glyphosate-tolerant transgenic-cotton cultivars were evaluated for tolerance to Hoplolaimus columbus in field experiments conducted from 2001 to 2003. The studies were arranged in a split-plot design that included treatment with 1,3-dichloropropene at 42 liter/ha to establish fumigated versus nonfumigated subplots with cultivars as whole plots. Cotton cultivars were divided by relative maturity into two separate but adjacent experiments in order to facilitate cotton defoliation, with 10 early-maturity and 5 late-maturity cultivars. Fumigation was effective in suppressing H. columbus population densities and increased cotton lint yield. The cultivar-fumigation interaction was significant for early-season cotton cultivars but not for late-season cultivars. A tolerance index ([yield of nontreated/yield of treated] × 100) was used to compare cultivar differences. Both groups of cultivars expressed significant levels of tolerance to H. columbus, but late-season cultivars tended to yield more than early-season cultivars in infested fields.