Nematode Interactions

Nematode interactions are important biological phenomena and of great significance in agriculture. It is a fascinating subject which is multidisciplinary by nature, and concerns any scientist involved with plant health. There have been marked advances in our knowledge of various aspects of the subject in the last two decades. This study area has been the subject of several reviews, but there was no exclusive text on the subject. This has stressed the need to document the information, developing a unifying theme which treated nematode interactions in a holistic manner. This book is about the inter­ action of plant-parasitic nematodes with other plant pathogens or root symbionts, the nature of their associations, their impact on the host and con­ sequential interactive effects on the involved organisms. Since nematodes are at the centre of the theme, the responsibility of understanding of other plant pathogens dealt with in this book is largely delegated to the reader. I have limited the book content to interactions with biotic pathogens and root symbionts only, for various reasons. The book embodies 16 chapters, and attempts to present balanced infor­ mation on various aspects of nematode interactions with other plant pathogens and root symbionts. Some chapters describe general aspects of the subject. Interactions of nematodes with specific groups of organisms are addressed in the remaining chapters.