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Nematodes, soil
borne microscopic worms often referred by farming communities as
the hidden enemies of the crop cause extensive damage not only to
potato and sugar beet yield but the quality characters as well.
Yet they often escape attention by growers as well as plant protection
workers as their infection do not result in sudden death or appearance
of conspicuous above grand symptoms on host plant in the initial
stage. Often the appearance of noticeable damage or plant symptoms
or noticeable yield loss coincides with a build up of nematode population
in the soil to beyond manageable proportion by any means. The most
effective nematicides that helped earlier to overcome the nematode
problems are now been banned from the word market due to the environmental
and health hazards associated with their usage. Hence the following
ecofriendly, low cost and sustainable integrated management strategies
have been developed at University of Idaho nematode program to combat
loss caused by these hidden enemies of growers.
· Development
of non-chemical approaches for phytonematode management in the potato
with major emphasis on biofumigation, antagonistic & green manure
crops.
· Development of economical and eco-friendly integrated nematode
management strategies involving trap crops on sugar beet.
· Identification of non-chemical strategies for suppression
of phytonematodes in alfalfa ecosystem.
· Characterization of biodiversity of economically important
nematodes and their impact on Idaho agriculture and determining
the influence of organic farming on nematode communities in the
cropping system.
· Breeding of nematode resistant varieties for the suppression
of economically important nematodes on alfalfa, bean and sugar beet.
· Ascertain the synergistic interaction of nematodes with
fungi and virus and their impact in the development of nematode
management strategies.
· Establishing the role of nematode biodiversity in sustainable
crop production.
· Surveys to prepare distribution maps for nematodes associated
with potato, sugar beet and alfalfa in different agro-climatic zones.
· Training of R&D personnel and extension workers from
various organizations, conducting on farm demonstrations of nematode
management techniques for the sustainable crop production
For further
information contact: Saad
L. Hafez
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