A recently released non-fumigant nematicide, fluensulfone, belonging to the fluoroalkenyl chemical group, fluensulfone, was tested against field populations of root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne sp. in commercial cucumber and tomato greenhouses. It was delivered through the drip irrigation system at doses from 12 to 72 ml 100 m⁻¹. The application of fluensulfone substantially reduced nematode multiplication either in tomato or cucumber cultivation at all doses above 24 ml 100 m⁻¹. Plants cultivated in plots treated with fluensulfone produced significantly more fruits throughout the cropping season for both crops. However, in tomato cultivation, doses higher than 36 ml 100 m⁻¹ have shown a high number of dead plants a fact which was not recorded in cucumber cultivation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate any possible phytotoxicity of fluensulfone. Three solanaceous (tomato, pepper, and eggplant) and three cucurbitaceous (cucumber, squash and melon) plants were used. The root growth and the seed germination were affected when the recommended dose of fluensulfone was used.

The essential oil (EO) and hydrosol (HL) isolated from Cuminum cyminum (cumin) seeds were evaluated against the root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica. The efficacy of extracts on the motility, hatching, and survival in soil of second-stage juveniles (J2s), and the activity on egg differentiation were tested. All J2s were paralyzed after immersion in the EO at 62.5 μL/L concentration for 96 h. Encouraging results were recorded using HL equal to or higher than 10% concentration for both Meloidogyne species tested. More than 70% paralyzed J2s were recorded after immersion for 48 h, while the percentage was increased to higher than 90% after 96 h of immersion. A clear effect on egg differentiation was observed after immersion in EO or HL. A significant decrease in egg differentiation was revealed at even low concentrations of EO while an evident decrease in egg differentiation was recorded after immersion of eggs in 50% HL dilution. Decreased hatching of M. incognita and M. javanica J2s was observed with the increase in concentration. The lowest numbers of hatched J2s were recorded when EO was used at 1000 and 2000 μL/L concentrations. A constant reduction in root-knot nematode J2 hatching was observed upon increasing the concentration of HL from 5% to 50%. The EO of C. cyminum is characterized by the presence of γ-terpinene-7-al (34.95%), cumin aldehydes (26.48), and α-terpinene-7-al (12.77%). The above constituents were observed in HL following the same order as that observed in EO. The components γ-terpinene (11.09%) and ο-cymene (6.56%) were also recorded in EO while they were absent in HL.

The application of fenamiphos either alone or in combination with soil fumigants is a common practice in greenhouses and potato-cultivation areas in Greece. However, repeated applications of fenamiphos in the same field for a number of years can lead to the development of enhanced biodegradation of the nematicide. Studies in previously treated greenhouse sites and potato field sites in Greece were employed in order to investigate the development of enhanced biodegradation of fenamiphos and the respective effect of soil fumigants on the development of the phenomenon. Enhanced biodegradation of fenamiphos in a soil from a previously treated greenhouse site from the area of Aggelohori in Northern Greece was observed using both incubation and bioassay studies with nematodes. Fumigation of the enhanced soil with methyl bromide (MeBr) only temporarily inhibited degradation of fenamiphos unlike metham sodium (MS) whose application significantly reduced microbial degradation of fenamiphos. Similarly, enhanced biodegradation of fenamiphos was evident in soil from potato fields that had a history of previous exposure to fenamiphos. The slow rates of fenamiphos degradation observed in soils from the previously treated sites after sterilization with broad-spectrum antibiotics and also in soils from previously untreated sites suggested that soil microorganisms were responsible for its rapid degradation. The inhibition of enhanced biodegradation of fenamiphos in soil from the previously treated greenhouse site caused by the antibiotic penicillin probably indicates that Gram+ or other bacteria sensitive to penicillin are responsible for the rapid degradation of fenamiphos in this soil. No cross-adaptation was observed between fenamiphos and other nematicides registered in Greece for the control of root-knot and potato cyst nematodes, including cadusafos, ethoprophos, and oxamyl. According to our results, applications of MS followed by fenamiphos or in rotation with other registered nematicides are the most promising means for minimizing the risk of development of enhanced biodegradation of fenamiphos in soils.