OTHER STRESSES

Symptoms of nematode-damaged plants are generally non-specific, and preliminary examination of the crop usually does not provide unequivocal diagnosis of the plant disease. Organisms other than nematodes plus nutritional and soil physical effects, such as low or excess fertilizer and low water holding capacity or poor drainage of soil, can produce poor growth, plant stunting, patchiness in a crop, wilting, and discolored foliage. The complexity of the soil environment also means that a simple factor usually is not responsible for plant damage and crop yield reduction. More commonly, a combination of factors compounds damage and stress upon a plant to cause yield loss. Specific interactions of nematodes with other disease causing agents, such as fungi or bacteria, can cause much greater plant damage than one organism would cause alone.

From: McKenry, M.V. and P. A. Roberts. 1985. Phytonematology Study Guide. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 4045.

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