Microbial control of phytopathogenic nematodes

Abstract

Phytopathogenic nematodes, mainly comprised of plant parasitic nematodes, cause serious losses in a variety of agricultural crops worldwide. However, because traditional nematicides are associated with major environmental and health concerns, developing safe and effective nematicides is urgently needed. Among the recent developments, biocontrol measures using nematophagous microorganisms have shown significant promise and attracted much attention. Nematophagous microorganisms are the most important natural enemies of phytopathogenic nematodes and these microorganisms employ a variety of physical, chemical, and biochemical mechanisms to attack nematodes. This chapter introduces nematophagous microorganisms as well as their virulence factors against nematodes.