Host plant status of different cover crops for Pratylenchus penetrans and Meloidogyne chitwoodi

[Display omitted] •Cover crop mixtures inhibit the multiplication of M. chitwoodi and P. penetrans.•Specific cover crop cultivars are good candidates for nematode-trap cropping.•Cover crops play an important role in soil and crop productivity.•Cover cropping improves plant vigor through beneficial manure effect in the field. Nine different cover crops (different species or cultivars) were evaluated for their potential use in management of Pratylenchus penetrans and Meloidogyne chitwoodi. Pot experiments were done to assess the host status of cover crops in mixtures or as individual stands. Each pot was inoculated with 2000 M. chitwoodi (second-stage juveniles) or 500 P. penetrans (mixture of juveniles and adults). The experiments were terminated after 60 days and nematodes were extracted from both mineral and organic fractions. Based on nematode reproduction factor, alfalfa cv. Alpha + fodder radish cv. Doublemax mixture, white clover cv. Melital + bird’s foot trefoil cv. Bull mixture, red clover cv. Lemmon + arugula cv. Nemat mixture, English ryegrass cv. Meltador + arugula cv. Nemat mixture, fodder radish cv. Doublemax, bird’s foot trefoil cv. Bull and arugula cv. Nemat, with reproduction factors 0.24, 0.76, 0.54, 0.92, 0.15, 0.22 and 0.17, respectively, were poor hosts of M. chitwoodi while Fodder radish cv. Doublemax, English ryegrass cv. Meltador and arugula cv. Nemat with reproduction factors 0.74, 0.81 and 0.69, respectively, were poor hosts of P. penetrans.