NEMATODES AND AGRICULTURE IN CONTINENTAL ARGENTINA - AN OVERVIEW

In Argentina, soil nematodes constitute a diverse group of invertebrat es. This widely distributed group includes more than two hundred curre ntly valid species, among which the plant-parasitic and entomopathogen ic nematodes are the most remarkable. The former includes species that cause damages to certain crops (mainly Meloidogyne spp, Nacobbus aber rans, Ditylenchus dipsaci, Tylenchulus semipenetrans, and Xiphinema in dex), the latter includes various species of the Mermithidae family, a nd also the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis. There are few full -time nematologists in the country, and they work on taxonomy, distrib ution, host-parasite relationships, control, and different aspects of the biology of the major species. Due to the importance of these organ isms and the scarcity of information existing in Argentina about them, nematology can be considered a promising field for basic and applied research.