Current Options for Nematode Management

Methods currently used to control losses due to plant-parasitic nematodes have changed very little in a generation. While research during the past decade in such areas as nematode physiology, biological control, system simulation, and molecular biology has progressed rapidly, results are only beginning to Jnfluence programs for nematode management. This slow pace of change belies the rate at which new management options can be expected in the future. As in all areas of biology, advances in biochemistry and molecular biology will directly affect nematode management through improvements in host plant resistance (56, 104, 148), the use of nematode antagonists (71), and new methods to interrupt the normal life-cycle of nematodes (38). Technical methods derived partly from such research are being applied to other areas of nematode management such as species identification (16) and the quantifica­ tion of nematode populations in the soil (63). A public desire to change many current methods of managing plant pests in ways that do not pollute or otherwise degrade the environment has increased concomitantly with progress in research (70, 139). The concepts of integrated pest management (IPM) and sustainable agriculture (146) evolved in response to environmental concerns. Because rPM provides a working methodology for pest management in sustainable agricultural systems, methods to manage nematodes have evolved and will continue to evolve in response to IPM