An Overview of Predacious Fungi for the Management of Root-Knot Disease in Vegetables

Abstract

Plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) are ubiquitous in agricultural soils. They damage a range of vegetables as well as other agricultural crops worldwide. Some predaceous fungi, which act as nematode’s natural enemies, are one of the best pest management remedies. Some of these microbes create traps, resulting in the eelworms getting trapped and killed. Other predacious fungi behave as parasites inside the nematodes, producing poisons and virulence components that kill the nematodes internally. In order to develop powerful biological control agents against nematodes, it is crucial to understand the underlying principles of microbe-nematode interactions. In addition to focusing on the methods by which predaceous fungi infect worms and the nematode defence against dangerous infections, this book chapter reviews recent developments in our understanding of the interactions between nematodes and predaceous fungi. This chapter comprises important topics for more research and development, including prospective plans for applying our most recent findings to create efficient biocontrol methods for managing root-knot diseases of vegetables. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.