Tylenchida are the largest and most important group of plant-parasitic nematodes. They cause severe crop losses, particularly in the tropics, but even in Europe and North America where chemical control has been used for many years, keeping nematode populations at a reasonable level is proving increasingly difficult. This group also includes many nematode parasites of insect pests, which are of considerable biological control importance. The increasing use of integrated crop management, often requiring a reduction in the reliance upon chemical control, means that the need to rapidly identify pest nematodes has never been greater. The in-depth description of the life histories of the genera of the tylenchida have been retained in this edition and brought up-to-date through the inclusion of all the research carried out between the publication of the last edition and this new edition. This expanded edition includes detailed diagnoses of well over 200 genera and familial and ordinal groups and the book is illustrated with drawings of type or representative species.
These, together with comprehensive lists of species and genera and their synonymies provide the foundation for the status and validation of each taxon within the tylenchida. Information is provided regarding the biology, ecology and pathogenicity of these parasites. This book is a reference work on the important group of nematodes and should be a resource for plant nematologists and plant pathologists.