The feeding strategies of plant-parasitic nematodes

Abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes are one of the most important pests of crops throughout the world. Approximately 4100 plant-parasitic species have been so far identified. They can attack every part of the plant such as roots, stems, leaves, and seeds. Plant-parasitic nematodes feed on living plant tissues and display a wide variety of interactions with their hosts. They generally feed as ectoparasites, semi-endoparasites, endoparasites, and migratory endoectoparasites in plants. Ectoparasites never enter the host. Semi-endoparasitic nematodes feed partially embedded in tissue with a portion of the body outside. Endoparasitic nematodes completely enter roots. Migratory endoectoparasite nematodes remain vermiform. Their head region is only inserted into cortical cells from which nutrients are removed. In addition, these feeding types include sub-groups. The knowledge feeding types of plant-parasitic nematodes is important for management strategies. This review is initiated to provide an overview on the feeding strategies of plant-parasitic nematodes.