Effect of Water-Soaking and Air-Drying on Survival of Aphelenchoides besseyiinOryza sativa Seeds.

Several nematicides have been used to disinfest rice seeds contaminated with the white tip nematode, Aphelenchoides besseyi. We measured the efficacy of a standard disinfestation treatment that consists of soaking seeds in an aqueous emulsion of fenitrothion or fenthion and subsequently air-drying the seeds. We also measured the efficacy of the same treatments but without addition of nematicide to the soak water. Viability was monitored at key points during treatment. Our results showed that nematicides alone caused little nematode mortality within seeds. Most mortality occurred while seeds were being air-dried. Mortality caused by air-drying alone was 1.7 times greater than mortality caused by soaking seeds in water for 24 hours.