Identifying non-host sweet potato cultivars to combat nematodes

After the withdrawal of methyl bromide as a pesticide, research efforts in the production and protection of sweet potato have shifted towards the use of nematode-resistant cultivars as an alternative strategy for managing root-knot nematodes of the Meloidogyne genus.

However, successful use of these cultivars demands the accurate identification of Meloidogyne species and races. This, in turn, depends on close collaboration between plant breeders and plant-parasitic nematologists.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are a costly burden in crop production. Omnipresent in nature, they are associated with nearly every important agricultural crop