It is found almost exclusively in soils with a sand content of 80 percent or higher and thrives best in irrigated cropland where there is a constant supply of moisture. Sting nematodes do not enter plant roots'. All life stages remain in the soil, feeding at or near root tips. Symptoms Primary damage from the sting nematode is to the roots of the plant. The degree of injury to the roots varies with the age of the plant when attacked.
Symptoms are most severe when the feeding occurs during the first few weeks after planting.
In general, symptoms consist of greatly reduced root systems with short, stubby roots having dark, shrunken lesions, particularly at the tips. Plants which are not severely damaged by the initial feeding may recover and produce near-normal yields under optimum growing conditions. Host plants for the sting nematode. Crops Forages Weeds Others corn pearl millet morning glory bentgrass sorghum fescue crabgrass tomato soybean white clover johnsongrass potato wheat crimson clover sorrel peppers oats ladino clover wild carrot peach barley Kobe Iespedeza ragweed elm rye cocklebur pecan peanuts Bermuda grass strawberry Field symptoms usually consist of severe stunting, wilting, yellowing, and sometimes death. Other field problems can mimic sting nematode symptoms.