Semi-Endoparasitic Root Nematodes

Plant-parasitic nematodes that attach to a root and feed from inside it with the front of the body while the rest stays outside, so the female becomes fixed in place and swells as she matures, without forming the galls of root-knot nematodes or the hard cysts of cyst nematodes. A nematode belongs here when its cited article calls it a semi-endoparasitic or sedentary semi-endoparasitic nematode, as the reniform and citrus nematodes are described. The young worms move through the soil and then settle on a root, which makes the damage patchy: stunted growth, thin roots and poor yield in fields where the nematode has built up. Management relies on rotation with non-host crops, resistant or tolerant varieties, clean planting material and, where permitted, soil treatments. This heading keeps these nematodes together so a visitor can compare their hosts and the way they feed.