Introgression of nematode resistance genes is common in rootstock production for many woody plants but can be an impractical or limited process with annual crops due to the few available RKN-resistance genes, and lack of ability to deploy these into the many susceptible crops 4, 9, 10.
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Environmental Protection Agency phased out the use of the chemical nematicide methyl bromide in 2005 8. These control practices have become increasingly difficult over the years. These effectors are then injected into the host plant cell – altering the cell’s DNA to establish a swollen feeding cell 5.Īttempts to control nematode pests have been practiced by means of soil sterilization (via fumigation or solarization), crop rotation, and resistance breeding 6, 7. Within their several plant hosts, RKNs possess the ability to dedifferentiate plant cells into multinucleate feeding sites via hypertrophy by synthesizing specific effectors within their esophageal gland. Meloidogyne spp., or the root-knot nematodes (RKN), are able to infect a wide range of crop families such as Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Leguminosae, Musaceae, Curcubitaceae, Poaceae, and others 4, 5. According to Kaplan, nematodes are annually responsible for ~$100 billion in crop damage and cause 5 percent of all yearly crop loss globally. However, PPNs of economic importance can be grouped by either causing direct damage to their host or acting as a vector for viruses and/or bacteria 3. Most herbivorous or plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) affect crops through feeding within or on plant roots 3. Soil-borne nematodes feed on nearly all forms of life, including bacteria, fungi, unicellular eukaryotes, plants, and animals 2. Members of the phylum Nematoda have been in existence for close to one billion years and are classified as one of the most diverse organisms globally 1. globalpina was also observed to reduce disease symptomology of RKNs in vivo via significant reduction of root-galls on tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum var. chitwoodi by nematode trapping via hyphal adhesion to the cuticle layer, penetration of the cuticle layer, and subsequently digestion of its cellular contents.
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Using this methodology, the fungal isolate Mortierella globalpina was confirmed to be pathogenic in vitro against M. elegans, they were tested for pathogenicity against Meloidogyne chitwoodi. Once soil microbes were confirmed to be antagonistic to C. Nematodes were monitored for presence of infection and sub-cultured repeatedly for the purpose of isolating pure cultures of the microbe responsible for conferring the nematicidal activity. In this study, we developed an in vitro high-throughput method relying on the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the infection of those nematodes with a soil slurry containing a microbiome likely to house nematophagous microbes. New methodologies to manage RKN are needed such as efficient discovery of nematophagous microbes. are among the most detrimental pests in agriculture affecting several crops.
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Root-knot nematodes (RKN) such as Meloidogyne spp.