Understanding Pasteuria spore attachment for exploitation as a natural control agent of root-knot and cyst nematode pests

Plant-parasitic nematodes are an important constraint on plant productivity by disrupting the water and nutrient relations of the root system. Predicted climate change will cause water shortages and water use efficiency of crops will become increasingly critical. The project will target phytonematodes and focus on their interactions with the bacterial group of parasites closely related to Pasteuria penetrans which has potential as a biological control agent. The project is aimed at understanding the initial infection process of bacterial endospore attachment to the nematode cuticle, and then exploits this knowledge to develop novel environmentally sustainable control strategies for plant-parasitic nematodes.