They are migratory root endoparasites that inhabit both soil and roots. There is no distinct infective stage because all juvenile and adult stages can enter into and come out of roots. These nematodes generally prefer entering roots in the zone of elongation behind the root tips and at the junctions of lateral roots. Several may enter a root through the same site. Feeding and movement are confined chiefly to the cortical region within the root.
Females lay eggs singly as they move, mostly in the root cortex but also in the soil.
Males are rare or absent in P. brachyurus , P. minyus , P. scribneri , P. thornei , and P. zeae . Each female lays one to two eggs a day for many days, although the total number of eggs laid by one female has not been properly assessed. Generation time is somewhat slow compared with many nematode genera and may vary from 30 to 60 days, depending on species and temperature. Root lesion nematodes may overwinter in old plant root material that remains in the soil after harvest. For example, P. brachyurus may overwinter in cotton roots remaining in the soil from the previous crop.