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Cereal Cyst Nematodes

Richard Smiley and, Guiping Yan (October, 2010)

Summary

Nematodes are tiny but complex unsegmented roundworms that are anatomically differentiated for feeding, digestion, locomotion, and reproduction. These small animals occur worldwide in all environments. Most species are beneficial to agriculture. They make important contributions to organic matter decomposition and the food chain. Some species, however, are parasitic to plants or animals. One type of plant-parasitic nematode forms egg-bearing cysts on roots, damaging and reducing yields of many agriculturally important crops.