Sustainable agriculture in the light of climate change: effect of temperatures and exposure times on the mortality of the dagger nematode Xiphinema index

The gradual rising of average temperatures due to climate change are increasing the problem caused by phytoparasitic nematodes. To predict the effect of soil solarization on Xiphinema index, an experiment was undertaken to investigate the effect of different temperatures (from 25 to 42.5 °C) and exposure times (from 2 up to 2,048 hrs) on the mortality of the nematode. Surviving nematodes were expressed as percentages of those surviving at 25 °C. The differences to 100 were considered as mortality percentages. To kill 50% of nematode population were necessary 180, 34, 4.7 and 2.5 hours at 35, 37.5, 40 and 42.5 °C, respectively. Data fitted the model Pt=Po10-?t/(q+mT) reported in literature.