The relationship of
crops grown in
rotation or in succession has increased every day and the use of antagonistic
plants and/or non-host
plants is one of the most efficient practices of integrated management of nematodes. This study aimed to evaluate the
efficiency of
crotalaria (
Crotalaria spectabilisRoth) and
millet [
Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Leeke] 'ADR 300' in reducing the
population of
Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica and in increasing the
productivity of
okra [
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] when cultivated in succession. The experiment was conducted in an area cultivating
okra (host
culture ) in
rotation , with a
history of severe infestation by phytonematodes. The
experimental design involved randomized blocks with six
treatments and four replicates, with the following
treatments T1, 15 kg.ha-1 of
millet seeds ; T2, 30 kg.ha-1 of
crotalaria ; T3, 10 kg.ha-1 of
millet + 20 kg.ha-1 of
crotalaria ; T4, 20 kg.ha-1 of
millet + 6 kg.ha-1 of
crotalaria ; T5, 6 kg.ha-1 of
millet + 36 kg.ha-1 of
crotalaria ; and T6, control. The nematode
populations in the
soil and roots were evaluated about 60 d after
planting okra , and the yield was evaluated at the end of the crop cycle. Simple
treatment with
millet or
crotalaria reduced the nematode
population by 61% and 72%, respectively. The
millet -
crotalaria intercropping
treatments reduced the nematode
population by up to 85% compared with the control. In terms of
productivity , there was an increase of 787 kg.ha-1 in the
millet treatment and 2,109 kg.ha-1 in the intercropping
treatments . Both the single cultivation of
crotalaria or
millet and the consortia of
crotalaria and
millet were effective in controlling the root-knot nematodes, and increased the
productivity of
okra .