Examples of Nematodes

1. Aphelenchoides fragariae (genus Aphelenchoides) that attacks strawberry, Begonia,

Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, and other ornamental species. The name of the disease is
strawberry foliar nematode. Symptoms used to diagnose the disease are angular, water
soaked lesions and necrotic blotches. The nematode can undergo multiple life cycles
in one growing season when favorable conditions are present. They can infect the
plant via stylet penetration or through the stomata. The best management practices for
this disease are sanitation, prevention of induction of the pathogen to the environment,
and planting clean seed or starter plants.

2. Ditylenchus dipsaci (genus Ditylenchus) primarily infects onion and garlic also
ribwort plantain or Plantago lanceolata. Symptoms of infection include stunted
growth, discoloration of bulbs, and swollen stems. D. dipsaci enters through stomata
or plant wounds and creates galls or malformations in plant growth. This allows for
the entrance of secondary pathogens such as fungi and bacteria. Management of
disease is maintained through seed sanitation, heat treatment, crop rotation, and
fumigation of fields.
3. Potato root nematodes/potato cyst nematodes from genus Globodera live on the
family of Solanaceae such as tomato and potato. The cysts, which are composed of
dead nematodes, are formed to protect the female's eggs and are typically yellow-
brown in color. The first symptoms of infestation are typically poor plant growth,
chlorosis, and wilting. Symptoms of infestation are not unique, and thus identification
of the pest is usually performed through testing of soil samples.

4. Heterodera glycines or soybean cyst nematode infects roots of soybean (Glycien

max). The nematode infects the roots of soybean, and the female nematode eventually
becomes a cyst. Infection causes various symptoms that may include chlorosis of the
leaves and stems, root necrosis, loss in seed yield and suppression of root and shoot
growth. It is a significant problem in the soybean growing areas of U.S., South
America, and Asia.
5. Longidorus or needle nematodes They may also transmit important plant viruses such
as the potato virus U or the cacao necrosis virus. Species are known to infest
narcissus, alfalfa, beet, caneberries, lettuce, grape and citruses.

6. Meloidogyne or root-knot nematodes attack the roots of thousands of plant species.

They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters. About 2000 plants
worldwide are susceptible to infection by root-knot nematodes and they cause
approximately 5% of global crop loss. Root-knot nematode larvae infect plant roots,
causing the development of root-knot galls that drain the plant's photosynthate and
nutrients. Infection of young plants may be lethal, while infection of mature plants
causes decreased yield.
7. Nacobbus threatens crops such as tomato, potato, quinoa, and sugarbeet. Prevalent in
North and South America. hey can cause so much damage that they are considered to
be of quarantine importance.

8. Pratylenchus or lesion nematodes threatens crops such as soybenas, potatoes, corn,

banana, and wheat. They are parasitic on plants and are responsible for root lesion
disease on many taxa of host plants in temperate regions around the world. Lesion
nematodes are migratory endoparasites that feed and reproduce in the root and move
around, unlike the cyst or root-knot nematodes, which may stay in one place. They
usually only feed on the cortex of the root. They are more common in sandy soils and
land with weed infestations.
9. Xiphinema or dagger nematodes commonly known as dagger nematodes. The genus is
of economic importance on grape, strawberry, hops and a few other crops. They can
be easily recognized by their long bodies and stylets which are long enough to reach
the vascular tissue of plants. They are of agricultural concern because they are vectors
of nepoviruses, transferring them during feeding. Efforts to study these nematodes in
more detail have proved problematic in some species due to difficulties in maintaining
populations in a greenhouse environment.