Diseases and Pests of Garlic 7/12 Stem and Bulb (Bloat) Nematode — Ditylenchus dipsaci

Nematodes (also called eelworms or roundworms) are tiny microscopic organisms living in soil and plant tissue. Some nematodes are helpful to crops, while parasitic types feed on fungi, bacteria, small pests or directly eat plant cells and damage growth.

The stem and bulb nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) feeds on the fleshy tissue inside garlic bulbs and triggers severe damage. Once this nematode invades garlic, secondary fungal and bacterial infections usually follow, leading to bulb rot. Whether infected bulbs show visible damage depends on how many nematodes live inside them. In many cases, contaminated garlic looks healthy at first; signs only appear when warm, damp weather creates ideal growing conditions for the pest.

Lab testing is the only reliable way to confirm this specific nematode, but you can check bulbs for infestation using the method shown in our attached video to spot a possible infection. Keep in mind most soil nematodes do not penetrate garlic bulbs. For example, root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) only attack garlic roots, slowing plant growth, but they never enter bulb flesh. They cannot create bulb damage or spread to new farmland through seed garlic cloves.

Stem and Bulb (or Bloat) Nematode (caused by Ditylenchus dipsaci)

Visible Symptoms of Bloat Nematode Damage

Garlic leaves twist, curl and grow misshapen
Underground bulbs turn brown, crack open and swell up (the “bloat” effect the pest is named for)
The outer protective skins of bulbs split loose and separate from the bulb’s base plate

Farm Management Tip

Start with certified disease-free seed garlic and annual crop rotation to lower nematode risks for your large garlic planting operation. Our full garlic processing machines can sort out deformed, damaged bulbs after harvest to stop infected cloves being reused as seed stock next season.

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