Plant Parasitic Nematodes Control and Host-Response

Dear Colleagues,

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN), “the unseen enemies” of plants, are a threat to a wide range of plant species, including economically important crops, affecting production, quality and yield. Although PPN are responsible for losses estimated at around USD173 billion/year, most of the growers do not recognize their importance, as the symptoms associated with their presence are unspecific. The top 10 PPN, based on their scientific and economic importance, include root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), cyst nematodes (Heterodera/Globodera spp.), root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.), the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis, and the stem nematode Ditylenchus dipsaci, among others.

Once PPN are established, their eradication is very difficult. The objective of management strategies is to increase crop yield by reducing the nematode population and, consequently, limiting the damage to a economically acceptable level. Nematicides have been used to minimize crop losses caused by PPN. However, the increasing concern of producers and consumers about the risks posed by these chemicals has stimulated research on the development of “natural” nematicides. Furthermore, crop rotation and the growing of resistant cultivars are ecologically healthy, effective and widely used strategies for nematode control. In crop rotation fallow periods or non-hosts, resistant or immune plants to PPN species are rotated with susceptible crops; this approach requires knowledge about the host status of a large number of plants. Other practices have also been used, such as the considering the time of planting and harvesting, the removal or destruction of infected host plants, flooding, biofumigation, solarization, heat treatment, steaming, the use of allelopathic plants that release nematicidal compounds into the rhizosphere, trap crops, soil amendments, biological control, etc.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest advances in management strategies for important PPN. We welcome original research and reviews on the cover themes, including the application, evaluation, and validation of PPN control methods in in vitro, pot and field assays, including the host response of plants to PPN, chemical control (nematicides and bionematicides; mode of action), biological control, cultural methods (crop rotation, cover crops, soil amendments, …), and integrated pest management.

Dr. Carla Maleita
Dr. Ivânia Esteves
Guest Editors

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