Reniform nematode reproduction and soybean yield of four soybean cultivars in arkansas

A field infested with Rotylenchulus reniformis in the Arkansas River valley near Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, was used to test the effects of R. reniformis on four commonly grown soybean cultivars (Lloyd, Tracy-M, Bedford, Forrest). At planting, the plots averaged 950 vermiform reniform nematodes per 100 cm(3) of soil. At harvest, the average R. reniformis reproductive index (final/initial population density) was 2.62 for Tracy-M, 2.50 for Lloyd, 1.72 for Bedford, and 0.81 for Forrest. Yields were highest for the cultivar Lloyd, followed by Bedford, Forrest, and Tracy-M. Initial population densities of R. reniformis were positively correlated (P = 0.05) with final population densities when all cultivars were calculated together. Neither initial nor final densities were correlated with yield.