Crop rotation with nematode-resistant wheat can protect tomatoes

In a study published online today in Crop Science, scientists describe a nematode-resistant wheat. But while the wheat carries the resistance to the pest, the benefits are actually seen in the crop that is grown after it.

Root-knot nematodes cause crop losses around the world, and they can be difficult to control. In order to reproduce, nematodes need to infect a living plant root. Once they are present in soil, they can survive Winter in a fallow field and infect plants during the next growing season. Trap crops – unsuitable hosts that "trick" the nematodes into starting their life cycle but then prevent them from reproducing – are often a better option than leaving the field fallow.

"Once nematodes commit to being a parasite, they have to complete their life cycle," explains Valerie Williamson, lead author of the study and professor at University of California – Davis. "If they don't reproduce, the population dies out."

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-crop-rotation-nematode-resistant-wheat-tomatoes.html#jCp