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Measurement of the adenosine triphosphate content of cysts of Globodera rostochiensis as a method for assessing the efficacy of fumigant nematicides
Author(s) -
STOREY R. M. J.,
ATKINSON H. J.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1979.tb06545.x
Subject(s) - fumigation , hatching , biology , globodera rostochiensis , toxicology , soil water , pest analysis , agronomy , nematode , horticulture , ecology
SUMMARY The measurement of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content of samples of 50 cysts of Globodera rostochiensis collected from 40 fields in the Netherlands has been tested as a method for determining the mortality of the nematodes achieved by fumigation of these field soils. The technique used is based on bioluminescent photometry and it has been fully described previously. The ATP assessment has been compared with results obtained by the advisory service in the Netherlands using hatching tests based on samples of 100 cysts from the same field soils. The ratio of the values before and after soil treatment showed that the methods usually provided similar estimates of mortality. The relationship between ATP and hatched juveniles was also similar from pre‐treatment and post‐treatment samples. The amount of ATP, calculated from these results, which is equivalent to the maximum post‐treatment hatch allowed for a successful treatment in the Netherlands was used in conjunction with the mortality estimates to assess the success of the fumigation. On this basis the two methods disagreed in the overall assessment of fumigation in only five of the 40 fields. This frequency of disagreement is not significantly greater than expected from the variability of either method. The ATP technique clearly offers a reliable and relatively inexpensive method for estimating the efficacy of fumigant nematicides and is much more rapid than the alternative hatching tests or egg counts. Therefore, it could replace these in situations where the grower wanted a rapid assessment on the success, or otherwise, of his fumigation.