INTERPLANTING WHEAT IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE POSTPLANT MANAGEMENT TACTIC FOR CRICONEMELLA-XENOPLAX IN PEACH PRODUCTION

In two orchard experiments, interplanting wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Stacy) around either newly planted or 4-year-old well-established pea ch trees did not suppress (P less than or equal to 0.05) the populatio n density of the ring nematode, Criconemella xenoplax, after 3 years. Furthermore, inter planting wheat around newly planted trees reduced t ree growth, perhaps the result of competition for water and (or) nutri ents. Wheat root exudate was not as attractive to C. xenoplax as peach root exudate, but wheat root exudate did not repel the nematode eithe r. Stacy wheat appeared to be more beneficial as a preplant rather tha n as a postplant ground cover management tool for suppressing the popu lation density of C. xenoplax.