Nematodes in Agriculture
Plant parasitic nematodes are ubiquitous browsers and hidden enemies of the crops and are found to attack several economically important crops viz. cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables such as tomato, chili, bottle gourd, okra, brinjal, horticultural crops like banana, ginger, turmeric, cereals like wheat, maize etc. and almost all pulse crops. The key nematodes infecting these crops in Gujarat are root-knot nematodes, which are reported to induce the yield losses in different crops.
Science Foundation collaborated with the Gujarat Agricultural University, Anand to develop biological control mechanisms for the root-knot nematodes using fungal pathogens in cotton and groundnut. Further, studies were also carried out to explore the use of potential bioagents in the management of soil insect pests including plant parasitic nematodes.