Pratylenchus (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae): Diagnosis, Biology, Pathogenicity and Management (2007)

Root-lesion nematodes of the genus Pratylenchus are recognised worldwide as one of the major constraints of crops of primary economic importance, including banana, cereals, coffee, corn, legumes, peanut, potato and many fruits. Pratylenchus species rank second only to rootknot and cyst nematodes as having greatest economic impact on crops worldwide. This is not only due to their wide host range, but also to their\ndistribution in almost every cool, temperate and tropical environment.\nThey are migratory endoparasites that cause severe root damage on a wide range of crops whilst feeding primarily in the cortical parenchyma.\nThe genus Pratylenchus comprises 68 nominal species of worldwide distribution that parasitise a wide variety of plants. Nevertheless, the majority of economic damage to herbaceous, vegetables and fruit crops throughout the world is attributable to a dozen of the most common species, including P. brachyurus in corn, cotton, peanut, pineapple, potato and tobacco; P. coffeae in coffee, citrus, sugarcane and tea; P. goodeyi in banana; P. neglectus in cereals and legumes; P. penetrans in grasses, forages, fruit trees and strawberries; P. pratensis in cereals,\ngrasses, ornamentals and strawberries; P. scribneri in potato, soybean and strawberries; P. thornei in cereals and legumes; P. vulnus in pome and stone fruit trees, ornamentals and roses; and P. zeae which parasitises corn, rice, sugarcane and wheat.\nThe book comprises ten chapters and presents summarised and specialised information on various aspects of the root-lesion nematodes belonging to the genus Pratylenchus. Chapter 1 describes the importance of Pratylenchus species in agricultural crops and their world distribution.\nChapter 2 presents general morphology and diagnostic traits of Pratylenchus spp. and their usefulness in taxonomy. This chapter also includes morphometric and cluster analyses to separate groups of species\nin order to facilitate identification. Chapter 3 analyses the taxonomy and\nsystematic position of Pratylenchus and related genera, including a list of nominal species. Chapter 4 provides complete descriptions and morphometrics of all populations characterised for each species, as well as their world distribution. Chapter 5 includes comprehensive tabular and\ndichotomous keys for species identification. Whilst recognising the complexity of creating a system to identify such a large number of species, we are nevertheless confident that, by using both systems, the reader has the necessary information to identify the species of Pratylenchus with\nwhich they are dealing. Chapter 6 summarises new diagnostic technologies based on biochemical and molecular analyses, which are becoming increasingly important for practical identifications. Chapter 7 includes\nnumerous aspects of the biology of Pratylenchus spp., life cycle, epidemiology\nand ecology. Chapter 8 comprises a complete revision of the host-parasite relationships between Pratylenchus spp. and herbaceous\nand woody plants. Chapter 9 presents the pathogenicity and damage of Pratylenchus spp. to crops, as well as their interactions with beneficial and pathogenic fungi and other nematodes. Finally, Chapter 10 illustrates different management strategies for Pratylenchus species, including crop\nrotation, host-plant resistance, chemical control, soil solarisation and biological\ncontrol by means of nematophagous fungi, entomopathogenic nematodes, the hyperparasitic bacterium Pasteuria penetrans and nematicidal plants.