APHIS Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine April 2008

Golden Nematode

The golden nematode is one of the world’s most 

damaging potato pests. First detected in the United 

States in 1941 in Nassau County on Long Island, New 

York, it was subsequently found in eight other New 

York counties. For over 60 years, an effective Federal 

and State quarantine program has confined the pest to 

nine counties in New York. If golden nematode were 

to become more widely established in U.S. potato, 

tomato, and eggplant production areas, annual crop 

losses could reach $4.8 billion. 

Background

The golden nematode is primarily a pest of potatoes 

and is also referred to as a species of potato cyst 

nematode. In the larval stage, it bores into the roots 

of host plants and feeds on their juices. Because the 

above-ground damage is not visible during the early 

stages of infestation, the pest can remain undetected 

for years. The first sign of a golden nematode infestation is poor plant growth in one or more areas of a 

potato field. As an infestation builds, the damaged 

area increases and eventually the entire field displays 

poor plant growth. Large numbers of the nematodes 

cause wilting, stunted growth, poor root development, 

and early plant death. Golden nematodes can also 

reproduce on the roots of eggplant, tomatoes, and 

several solanaceous weeds.

Life Stages 

The golden nematode goes through three life 

stages—egg, larva, and adult. The process can take 

anywhere from 38 to 48 days. The eggs are enclosed 

in protective cysts that are the size of pinheads and 

can contain up to 500 eggs and larvae. The eggs 

remain inactive in the soil until they are stimulated by 

a chemical released from the roots of the host plant. 

The larvae then migrate and enter the roots. Without 

host plants on which to attach themselves, nematode 

cysts can remain dormant for up to 30 years.

Golden Nematode Survey in New York

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the New York 

State Department of Agriculture and Markets work 

together to prevent the spread of golden nematode to 

uninfested areas. Since 1944, this successful 

Federal/State partnership has been aggressively using 

survey, quarantine, and control methods with the 

goal of eradicating this destructive pest. Plant health 

inspectors collect soil samples from potato fields and 

potato-grading stations. To ensure an early detection 

of any new golden nematode infestations, all potatoproducing areas in New York are surveyed annually. 

Control Efforts

The golden nematode is spread primarily by the transport of cysts in soil. Spread may occur through the 

movement of soil adhering to farming equipment, seed 

potatoes, nursery stock, flower bulbs, and potatoes. 

To prevent this type of spread, field workers must 

clean and disinfect equipment before moving it from 

an area infested with golden nematode. Growers 

should plant vegetation strips (sod strips, hedgerows, 

etc.) between fields and along highways and plant 

cover crops as soon as possible when the land is not 

in use.

 The primary means of controlling golden nematode is through the systematic planting of nematoderesistant potato varieties in rotation with non-host 

crops. Since the discovery of golden nematode in 

the United States, more than 40 new nematode-resistant potato varieties have been developed. Scientific 

research has proven crop rotation to be an effective 

tool in keeping fields in production and decreasing the 

chances of a golden nematode infestation. Potato 

growers should rotate potato crops with non-host 

crops such as corn, soybeans, or wheat. 

Nematicides, a chemical product used to control 

nematodes, may also be used in special situations.

 APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine officers 

diligently search for nematodes in shipments from 

foreign countries containing soil, burlap bags, and 

packing straw. Due to the presence of golden nematode in nine New York counties, the interstate movement of potatoes, equipment, and other regulated 

materials is restricted from those areas. 

How You Can Help 

You can help prevent the spread of golden nematode 

by taking the following precautions:

• Do not use secondhand containers such as burlap 

 bags, crates, and barrels when harvesting pota 

 toes;

• Do not bring used machinery on a farm unless it 

 has been steam-cleaned or fumigated;

• Do not spread soil and debris from potato-grading 

 operations onto farm lands;

• Plant only non-host crops or nematode-resistant 

 potato varieties in rotation with non-host crops on 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture

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 land where golden nematode is known or sus 

 pected to occur;

• Plant only certified seed; and

• Rotate crops on potato fields, but do not plant 

 tomatoes or eggplants in the rotation.

To learn more about golden nematode, please visit: 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_

info/nematode/index.shtml