Investigation of the soil nematode community composition in a monoculture Robusta coffee plantation in Dak Lak, Vietnam

Abstract

Nematode damage to coffee poses a serious threat to coffee production all over the world, including Vietnam. Accordingly, the nematode community composition could be a reliable indicator of ecological shifts that affect coffee plants' health. Here, we analysed the nematode communities in the rhizosphere of a monoculture Robusta coffee plantation in Dak Lak of the Central Highlands, Vietnam. We found changes in the community composition of nematodes in an age gradient of replanting coffee plants and revealed distinct patterns of nematode distribution in the soils of healthy and diseased plant groups. Further analyses indicate the impact of intensive farming and inefficient nematode controls, which caused disturbances and a gradual decrease of the nematode fauna diversity in the plantation soil. These results can add to a complete prediction model for plant fitness using nematode community composition.

Keywords

• Plant-parasitic nematodes
• Community analysis
• Population density
• Robusta coffee
• Plantation