Antagonism of Plant Parasitic Nematodes by Fungi

Abstract

Crop destruction by plant parasitic nematodes represents a major problem worldwide. Today the most common plant parasitic nematodes are controlled with chemical nematicides. During the second half of last century, the use of pesticides increased alarmingly with the aim of increasing agricultural production. The use of chemical pesticides has provided good solutions, but only in the short term. The introduction of natural enemies in the soil has resulted in an efficient method for the biological control of nematodes. Fungal antagonists of nematodes include nematode-trapping fungi, predacious fungi, endoparasitic fungi, egg parasitic fungi, and cyst parasitic fungi. The outermost layer of a nematode is considered to be of great importance in recognition by the fungus. The penetration mechanism by the fungus into the nematode is not well understood. However, it is known that lysing enzymes such as proteases and chitinases are involved in several steps of the host infection process. This chapter reviews and summarizes the knowledge accumulated on the mechanism of action and use of nemathophagous fungi for the control of plant parasitic nematodes in view of the most recent advances in the genomic era.