Hosts Wide host range including turf grasses, cereals, vegetables, forage crops, fruits, trees, ornamentals, weeds, peanut, corn, cotton, tomato, squash, soybeans, grasses, pine roots. Tobacco and watermelon are non-hosts. Has not been reported outside of the U.S. Life Cycle Migratory ectoparasite. Feeds at root tip and along the sides of roots. Prefers light, sandy soils.
Reproduction is inhibited in soils with large amounts of organic matter.
Optimum temperatures for reproduction seem to be about 30 C. Males and females are present, but life history details are not well understood. In general, nematodes are confined to the upper 30 cm of soil, but within this zone there is vertical and seasonal fluctuation depending on temperature. High air temperatures force nematodes deeper into the soil, while lower surface temperatures result in a higher concentration of nematodes in the surface layers, with little or no increase below . Infested areas vary in size and shape, but the boundary between diseased and healthy plants is usually well-defined. Renders Fusarium wilt-resistant cotton susceptible.