Abstract

The size and composition of the nematode assemblage in soil under faecal pats derived from young cattle treated or untreated with either ivermectin sustained-release boluses, or the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans , were studied in each of three years. Soil samples taken 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after four deposition dates in 1998 showed significant temporal effects in many taxa and treatment effects in a few genera. In 2000, soil samples taken 10 weeks after deposition in July, August and September showed treatment effects in the plant-associated Tylenchus and Cephalenchus , and the bacterial-feeding Cephalobus 1 and Cephalobus 2 taxa. However, overall it was found that the nematode assemblages were similar below all three types of pat, and the assemblages varied with the season of deposition. D. flagrans , the novel biological control agent being tested against the free-living stages of nematode parasites of cattle, had no detectable impact on the size or the structure of the soil nematode communities under the faecal pats.

Keywords

bacterial-feeding nematodes; Cephalobidae; Duddingtonia flagrans; environmental impact; ivermectin; nutrient cycling; pasture; soil

Published in

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A - Animal Science
2003, volume: 53, number: 4, pages: 197-206
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS

Authors' information