Sugar Beet Cyst Nematode (Heterodera schachtii Schmidt): Identification and Antagonists

Abstract

Sugar beet is listed within the top ten most important crops in the world. The paleobotanic data suggest the sea beet was grown in the ancient times, while the beets with swollen roots were cultivated in the Middle Ages in Europe. Sugar beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii is an invasive organism causing high economic loss to sugar beet worldwide. The fundamental steps in control of harmful organisms in plant protection and food safety are grounded on rapid detection of the causative agent and its proper identification. The prompt reaction before obvious symptoms occur can prevent devastating consequences. To confirm the identity of an invasive organism, the process demands the combination of identification techniques, such as morphology and molecular characterization. The phylogeography of available H. schachtii populations, based on matching historical data with phylogenetic analyses of the ITS rRNA region pinpointed a possible place of origin of the European H. schachtii populations. A next step is the determination of natural antagonists of nematodes. Due to the long persistence of the parasite in soil, cysts harbor a large number of bacteria and fungi, the presence of which can lead to cyst death and population decline. Bacteria, fungi and other antagonists are an inevitable part of the soil ecosystem and are also part of those mechanisms in nature that limit the excessive number of invasive organisms and return ecological system to its stable equilibrium, acceptable for the existence of humans as well as micro and macrobiota on Earth.