Scientists dig up solutions for nematode issues in tomato crops

Statistics show nematodes are responsible for nearly $125 billion in annual crop loss worldwide. Tomato growers in particular can lose up to 80% of their yield due to infestation. With no letup in sight, a group of scientists are armed and ready to get to the root of the problem.

UF/IFAS Assistant Professor of Molecular Nematology Peter DiGennaro, along with two colleagues from N.C. State University, Dahlia Nielsen and Colleen Doherty, have been awarded $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation and $500,000 from the USDA to conduct groundbreaking research.

With the grants, the trio will study how the genome in tomato plants alters the behavior of the plant and pathogens during those increasingly warm evenings.

"The situation with nematodes is exacerbated by an emerging concern in agriculture: the effect of warming nighttime temperatures. This unprecedented trend is causing critical challenges to crops," DiGennaro says.

Over the years, plants have adapted well to a consistent global temperature difference between day and night. In the past few decades, however, this difference has begun to shrink.

Continue reading.

Photo by Freepik

Source: Growing Produce