Several challenges are associated with control of
This study investigated several potential solanaceous species as trap crops for the Idaho population of
Seeds of the solanaceous species under investigation were acquired from the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) via GRIN-GLOBAL. The following seeds were received from NPGS in Fall 2019:
Experiments were initiated when four-week-old tissue culture potato plantlets or seedlings from potting soil were transplanted into terracotta clay pots containing soil (Dandurand and Knudsen, 2016). Soil consisted of a 2:1 ratio of Lane Mountain 20/30 industrial silica sand to Prosser-series silt loam soil (WSU-IAREC, Prosser, WA) that had been dried and sieved through a 5 mm mesh (Dandurand and Knudsen, 2016). Soil was autoclaved twice for 90 min at 121°C prior to use. Greenhouse conditions were maintained between 16°C and 20°C with 60% relative humidity and a 16-hour light:8-hour dark photoperiod. Pots were watered daily to maintain soil moisture. Osmocote slow-release fertilizer (The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH) was applied at planting. Jack's Classic All Purpose 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer (JR Peters Inc., Allentown, PA) was applied weekly. Bioworks SuffOil-X horticultural oil (Bioworks, Victor, NY) was applied weekly to prevent thrips infestation.
The host assay was performed in 10-cm-diameter terra cotta pots containing approximately 500 g soil. Pots were inoculated with the Idaho population of
Cysts were extracted using the elutriator system (USDA-APHIS, 2009). Following extraction, cysts were floated in acetone to further remove debris (Brodie et al., 1976). Samples were then examined with a dissecting scope (Leica M80, Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) where any progeny cysts were counted. A species that had zero progeny cysts in all replicates was determined to be a nonhost of
Hatching assays were conducted using root exudates. Plants for root exudate collection were grown in 15-cm-diameter terra cotta pots containing 1,200 g soil. Susceptible potatoes ‘Desiree’ and ‘Russet Burbank’ were included as positive controls. An unplanted bare soil pot was included as a negative control. Four replicate pots were grown in randomized complete block design. Root exudates were collected at four weeks and at six weeks, following transplant into soil. Pots were not watered 24 hours prior to root exudate collection. Root exudates were collected by soil leaching, modified from Widdowson and Wiltshire (1958). Soil was first saturated with deionized water one hour prior to diffusate collection. Pots were then balanced on plastic cups placed beneath their drainage holes. Deionized water was slowly added to each pot until approximately 30 ml of diffusate was collected in the cup. The diffusate samples were then vacuum filtered, first through a 0.45-μm-pore filter (Corning disposable vacuum filter, Corning, NY) to remove soil particles and debris and then through a 0.22-μm-pore filter to remove microbes (Corning disposable vacuum filter, Corning, NY). The resulting root exudates were then frozen at −20°C until use.
In vitro hatching assays were performed within two months of collecting the exudates. The assays utilized cysts of the Idaho
Statistical analysis was performed using the SAS statistical package (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Hatch, viability, and egg densities were analyzed with a generalized mixed linear model (PROC GLIMMIX) and means separation by least squares means. To meet the assumptions of a normal distribution, the host assay progeny cyst data was transformed as log10 (x +1) in order to be analyzed using PROC GLM and means separation by Tukey's HSD.
Reproduction of
Trial one
0 c | 160.4 a | 65.2% abc | 81.9 a | Nonhost | |
0 c | 135.8 a | 62.4% abc | 58.8 b | Nonhost | |
0 c | 147.8 a | 52.6% bc | 46.7 bc | Nonhost | |
0 c | 96.9 b | 48.0% c | 32.8 c | Nonhost | |
0 c | 91.2 b | 61.5% abc | 44.9 bc | Nonhost | |
Bare Soil | 0 c | 158.4 a | 73.7% a | 89.1 a | Nonhost |
369.7 a | 77.9 bc | 66.1% ab | 43.9 bc | Host | |
265.5 a | 70.9 c | 61.3% abc | 33.8 c | Host |
Trial two
0 b | 147.5 a | 61.2% | 62.8 b | Nonhost | |
0 b | 133.7 ab | 70.0% | 51.2 bcd | Nonhost | |
0 b | 133.2 ab | 55.3% | 57.1 bc | Nonhost | |
0 b | 108.9 b | 59.9% | 63.7 b | Nonhost | |
0 b | 77.7 c | 65.5% | 43.5 d | Nonhost | |
Bare Soil | 0 b | 148.4 a | 65.7% | 93.7 a | Nonhost |
57.2 a | 81.1 c | 63.7% | 44.4 cd | Host | |
64.8 a | 80.3 c | 64.9% | 43.5 d | Host |
Remaining encysted eggs recovered from cysts used in inoculation in the host assay revealed that certain solanaceous species caused significantly more hatch than others (
In trial one, the percentage viability of the remaining eggs per cyst significantly differed in some treatments (
The mean remaining viable eggs per cyst was also significantly different in some treatments (
The in vitro hatching assay using root exudates collected at four weeks revealed significant differences in hatch among the treatments (
Figure 1:
Trial one mean percentage egg hatch two weeks after root exudate application.
A) Percentage egg hatch for root exudates collected at four weeks of growth. B) Percentage egg hatch for root exudates collected at six weeks of growth. Standard error of the means is indicated by the bars. Different letters indicate significantly different means based on least squares means at α = 0.05.

The hatching assay using root exudates collected at six weeks also showed significant differences among treatments (
Trials one and two of the hatching assays could not be combined due to interactions between treatment and trial. The trial two hatching assay showed similar trends to trial one for the root exudates collected at 4 weeks, in that
Figure 2:
Trial two mean percentage egg hatch two weeks after root exudate application.
A) Percentage egg hatch for root exudates collected at four weeks of growth. B) Percentage egg hatch for root exudates collected at six weeks of growth. Standard error of the means is indicated by the bars. Different letters indicate significantly different means based on least squares means at α = 0.05.

This study confirms the findings of previous studies that
The remaining encysted eggs from the cysts originally used to inoculate the host assay were the highest in the bare soil control, as there was no hatching stimulus for
Ultimately, our results indicate that, of the species investigated,
The effect of potential trap crops on
Future studies focusing on fractionating diffusate and determining the compounds inducing hatch may provide novel control strategies. Guerrieri et al. (2021) found hatch to be caused by solanoeclepin A, which is produced by several solanaceous species including
Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Trial one Globodera pallida progeny cysts, remaining encysted eggs recovered from cyst bags, viability of remaining encysted eggs, viable remaining encysted eggs, and determined host status for G. pallida. Data presented are means of six replicates. Significant differences are denoted by different letters in the columns based on least squares means at α = 0.05.
0 c | 160.4 a | 65.2% abc | 81.9 a | Nonhost | |
0 c | 135.8 a | 62.4% abc | 58.8 b | Nonhost | |
0 c | 147.8 a | 52.6% bc | 46.7 bc | Nonhost | |
0 c | 96.9 b | 48.0% c | 32.8 c | Nonhost | |
0 c | 91.2 b | 61.5% abc | 44.9 bc | Nonhost | |
Bare Soil | 0 c | 158.4 a | 73.7% a | 89.1 a | Nonhost |
369.7 a | 77.9 bc | 66.1% ab | 43.9 bc | Host | |
265.5 a | 70.9 c | 61.3% abc | 33.8 c | Host |
Trial two Globodera pallida progeny cysts, remaining encysted eggs recovered from cyst bags, viability of remaining encysted eggs, viable remaining encysted eggs, and determined host status for G. pallida. Data presented are means of six replicates. Significant differences are denoted by different letters in the columns based on least squares means at α = 0.05.
0 b | 147.5 a | 61.2% | 62.8 b | Nonhost | |
0 b | 133.7 ab | 70.0% | 51.2 bcd | Nonhost | |
0 b | 133.2 ab | 55.3% | 57.1 bc | Nonhost | |
0 b | 108.9 b | 59.9% | 63.7 b | Nonhost | |
0 b | 77.7 c | 65.5% | 43.5 d | Nonhost | |
Bare Soil | 0 b | 148.4 a | 65.7% | 93.7 a | Nonhost |
57.2 a | 81.1 c | 63.7% | 44.4 cd | Host | |
64.8 a | 80.3 c | 64.9% | 43.5 d | Host |