*2.6. Statistical Analysis*

To assess the influence of the managements (U, C, and T, see above) and the time (T0 and T1) on the total number of *M. graminicola* (eggs and juveniles) a generalized mixed model (statistic: F), with a negative binomial probability distribution and a log link function was run. The total number of nematodes was the dependent variable, while the managemen<sup>t</sup> and the time was the fixed effect. Moreover, we considered the interaction managemen<sup>t</sup> x time.

To assess the influence of managemen<sup>t</sup> on plant population density, a generalized mixed model (statistic: F), with a negative binomial distribution and a log link function was run. The density of each case (each group of plants) was the dependent variable, while managemen<sup>t</sup> (U, C, and T) was the fixed effect. The block id (5 different plots, each with 5 groups of plants measured for each management) was included as a random effect.

The root-gall index in the soil among managements (U, C, and T) was compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test (statistic: H) and post hoc Mann-Whitney pairwise (statistic: U; raw *p* values, sequential Bonferroni significance).

To assess the influence of managemen<sup>t</sup> on plant growth, a generalized mixed model (statistic: F), with a normal probability distribution and an identity link function was run. The growth of each plant was the dependent variable, while the managemen<sup>t</sup> (U, C, and T) was the fixed effect. The block id (5 different plots, each with a range of 17 to 23 plants measured for each management) was included as a random effect.

To calculate the effect size, Cohen's d as: d = (ma − mb)/s.d. was computed, where ma and mb are the estimated marginal means of each category within the pairwise comparison, and s.d. is the pooled standard deviation. According to Cohen [20], the interpretation of d is as follows: d = 0.2: small effect, d = 0.5: medium effect, d = 0.8: large effect. Pairwise post-hoc comparisons between each couple of categories were performed using Bonferroni's sequential correction. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 20.0 [21] and PAST 3.25 [22].
