Nematology


Book Description

This book summarizes the advances in nematology that have been made during the 20th century and provides perspectives for the development of nematology in the next century. Chapters comprise: plant diseases caused by nematodes; virus vectors; physiological interactions between nematodes and their host plants; taxonomy of insect parasitic nematodes; resistance to plant parasitic nematodes; crop rotation and other cultural practices as control strategies; use of antagonistic plants and natural products; biological control of nematodes by fungal antagonists; biological control of nematodes with bacterial antagonists; biological control of insects and other invertebrates; cost-benefits of nematode management through regulatory programmes; past and current uses of nematicides; and irradiation effects of plant parasitic nematodes.













Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Plant Diseases


Book Description

This book is a compilation of the most challenging and significant chapters on the diagnosis and management of important bacterial, fungal, viral, viroid, phytoplasma, non parasitic diseases and various physiological disorders, in various crops. The chapters have been contributed by eminent plant pathologists, having wide experience of teaching and research on various crops with different types of diseases, which cause great economic losses. The book would be very useful for students, teachers and researchers of plant pathology. This book highlights recent advances made in the development of new types of resistance in host plants and alternative strategies for managing plant diseases to improve food quality and reduce the negative public health impact associated with plant diseases. Having entered into 21st century advancements in the Diagnosis of Plant Pathogens and Plant Disease Management need to be closely examined and adequately applied, so that newer challenges facing plant pathology could be adequately addressed in attaining food security for the growing population. Substantial advancements have been made in terms of expanding knowledge base of the biology of plant-microbial interactions, disease management strategies and application and practice of Plant Pathology. Application of molecular biology in Plant Pathology has greatly improved our ability to detect plant pathogens and in increasing our understanding, their ecology and epidemiology. Similarly, new technologies and resources have been evolved for the development of sustainable crop protection systems by different control strategies against various pests and pathogens that are important components of the integrated pest management programme. Natural products and chemical compounds discovered as a result of basic research and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis have led to the development of “biorational” pesticides. Biological control has been found to be the most significant approach to plant health management during the twentieth century and promises using modern biotechnology, to be even more significant in the twenty-first century.




The Family Trichodoridae: Stubby Root and Virus Vector Nematodes


Book Description

The family Trichodoridae was established by Thorne in 1935 but it remained of limited taxonomie interest until 1951 when Christie and Perry associated Trichodorus christie (now Paratrichodorus minor) with a "stubby root disease" that affected certain crops in Florida, USA and interest further increased from 1960 when P. pachydermus was implicated as a vector of the economically important tobacco raule virus. Such discoveries gave an impetus to studies on many aspects of the biology of trichodorid nematodes with a consequent proliferation of new species described from different parts of the world. The number of species increased from twelve in 1957 to a present day total exceeding eighty. This rapid expansion in the number of species was accompanied by several reappraisals of the taxonomy and systematies of the family, the most notable changes being the creation of the genus Paratrichodorus by Siddiqi in 1974 and the recognition of the monodelphic genera Monotrichodorus and Allotrichodorus respectively by Andrassy in 1976 and Rodriguez-M, Sher and Siddiqi in 1978. Reliable and unambiguous identification of taxa is dependent on the known reliability of a range of characters, whieh remains of paramount importance in taxonomy even when biochemical and molecular methodology is available. In this book each of the species, including synonyms and species inquirenda, that comprise the family Trichodoridae is re-described from meticulous mieroscopie examination of type specimens, material from official nematode collections and populations in the field.




Cyst Nematodes


Book Description

The cyst nematodes are a major group of plant pathogens of economic importance in many countries throughout the world. Considerable yield losses have been attributed to cyst nematodes attacking potatoes, sugar beet, soybean and cereals. Because of the protective cyst that is formed, which encloses the eggs, they pose special problems in their control and also in preventing their distribution in soil from infested areas. There has been much research on many aspects of the biology of cyst nematodes and the large number of publications are testimony to their importance as crop pests and of the interest of nematologists in the group. Nevertheless, they continue to pose problems because of the complexity of their phylogeny and taxonomy and there is still much to be investigated on their biology, particularly with those aspects which relate to improving the effectiveness of control. In many respects the biology of the various cyst nematode species is similar, although with variations due to different interactions with hosts and geographical location. Thus, research on any one species has general applicability and this is particularly so with regard to evaluation of control measures, or to the methodology of soil sampling for the assessment of populations prior to growing crops.




Plant Parasitic Nematodes


Book Description

Plant Parasitic Nematodes, Volume III provides a comprehensive discussion of the different advances in plant nematology. This includes biochemical techniques to taxonomy and innovation in transmission and scanning electron microscopy technology. It explains a broadened basis for understanding nematode physiology and behavior and the sensory mechanisms that govern nematode actions and plant host-nematode interactions. The book discusses the development of modern approaches to the evaluation and reduction of crop losses. The emphasis of this volume is on plant parasites and insights gained through research on other nematodes. In particular, the book explains the anatomical, developmental, behavioral, and genetic studies on the free-living nematode Cenorhabditis elegans, which is a widely used laboratory model for examining various biological problems. The information provided by various researches on C. elegans increases our understanding about the relevance of nematodes to general biological processes in higher organisms, including man. The book is divided into 19 chapters which cover the following concepts of plant nematology: biochemistry, cytochemistry, and genetics; morphology and function; host-parasite relations; and evaluation and control of crop losses. The present volume is an excellent reference for students, lecturers, and research professionals in plant parasitology and related fields.




Nematode Identification and Expert System Technology


Book Description

The need to identify and name organisms is fundamental to any area of biological science, basic or applied. In order to study or conduct research on an organism, or to convey information on this organism to others, we must be able to attribute to it a consistent label. Attribution of an incorrect label may have dire consequences if dangerous plant parasites are wrongly identified as members of an innocuous genus. Traditional aids to nematode identification (dichotomous keys) use systematic criteria not always well adapted to practical identification. Their reliance on dichotomous principlesdoes not allow for intra-taxon variability or for missing characters. They are difficult to update and they cannot keep pace with rapidly changing classifications. As experts in everyday life, we recognize a horse or a dog wi thout referring to the taxonomic descriptions of the genera Equus or Canis and their respective species. Problems in identification arise when we are not experts in the recognition of a particular organism, or group of organisms. Then, frequently in considerable frustration, we reflect on the usefulness of having the advice of an expert in this group. Tradi tional identification aids are useful tools for the expert identifiers, and for teaching. Their use is often difficult for general practitioners in nematology, and they may lead to incorrect identification, even at the genus level.




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