Plant Parasitic Nematodes Of The Pacific

Fiji; Kiribati; Niue; Western samoa; Tonga; Plant parasitic nematodes of the Pacific; Taxonomic notes.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are recognized as one of the greatest threats to crop production throughout the world. Estimated annual crop losses of $8 billion in the United States and $78 billion worldwide are attributed to plant parasitic nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes not only cause damage individually but form disease-complexes with other microorganisms thereby increasing crop loss. Nematode diseases of crops are difficult to control because of their insidious nature and lack of specific diagnostic symptoms which closely resemble those caused by other plant pathogens and abiotic diseases. Future developments of sustainable management systems for preventing major economical agricultural losses due to nematodes is focused on strategies that limit production costs, enhance crop yields, and protect the environment. This book presents a first compendium and overview for nematode problems and their management across North America. Each chapter provides essential information on the occurrence and distribution of plant parasitic nematodes, their major crop hosts, impact on crop production and sustainable management strategies for each region of the continent including, Canada, Mexico and all states of the USA. For each region, a thematic overview of changes in crop production affected by plant parasitic nematodes and their management strategies over time will provide invaluable information on the important role of plant parasitic nematodes in sustainable agriculture.

Aspects of geographical distribution; Dissemination; Habitants; Communities; Population change; The soil environment; Physical and chemical parameters; Survival; Parasitism of nematodes in biological control; Biological interactions; Effects of agricultural practices on nematode populations.

This book provides an overview (chapter 1) of the general biology, ecology and economic importance of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and covers in detail the following: general morphology (chapter 2); taxonomy, identification and principal species (chapter 3); biochemical and molecular identification (chapter 4); molecular taxonomy and phylogeny (chapter 5); hatch and host location (chapter 6); invasion, feeding and development (chapter 7); reproduction, physiology and biochemistry (chapter 8); survival mechanisms (chapter 9); interactions with other pathogens (chapter 10); population dynamics and damage levels (chapter 11); sampling (chapter 12); mechanisms and genetics of resistance (chapter 13); development of resistant cultivars (chapter 14); plant biotechnology and control (chapter 15); complete sequence of the genomes of M. incognita and M. hapla (chapter 16); biological control using microbial pathogens, endophytes and antagonists (chapter 17); current and future management strategies in intensive crop production systems (chapter 18); and current and future management strategies in resource-poor farming (chapter 19).

Formerly titled Plant-Parasitic Nematodes: A Pictorial Key to Genera, this volume has been the standard work on plant disease around the globe. Now in its fifth edition, it remains the fundamental reference for students as well as for diagnosticians—a usable, comprehensive key to plant-parasitic nematodes and the only guide to feature both photographs and drawings. Accompanied by full-page plates, the book offers descriptions of 68 genera, including most that have one or more species known to be plant parasites. The bibliography of approximately 2,500 entries on the taxonomy and morphology of nematode genera is one of the fullest on this subject. For the present edition, the authors have made revisions throughout and have added references to more than two hundred genera not previously included. An updated taxonomy, glossary, and an index are also provided. William F. Mai is Liberty Hyde Bailey Emeritus professor, Peter G. Mullin is Coordinator of Laboratory Instruction, and Howard H. Lyon is Biological Photographer (retired) in the Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University.