Changes in populations of the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus neglectus, following grain and forage sorghum and effect on yield

Full description

This dataset reports changes in population densities of the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus neglectus, over two seasons in the field in Queensland, in which 20 commercial and advanced lines of grain sorghum and 10 commercial lines of forage sorghum were grown over two years. Grain yield of the grain sorghum lines, and biomass of the forage sorghum lines were determined after the first cropping season, however drought and extreme heat destroyed the grain yields in the second year. P. neglectus population densities were measured to 150 cm soil depth before sowing in the first season and after each sorghum crop in both seasons of the trial. In the 2004-2005 trial, average initial P. neglectus populations were 1435/kg soil before sowing. Yields were obtained for the grain sorghum lines, biomass for the forage sorghum lines. Soil samples were collected after harvest in February 2005 to assess nematode populations by the Whitehead tray extraction method and identified and counted using a microscope. The 2005-2006 trial was replanted onto the plots used in the 2004-2005 trial. Grain yield was only harvested in the 2004-2005 trial; drought and extreme heat destroyed the grain yields in 2005-2006 trial. Soil samples were collected in April 2006 and reported in the following project.