IMPROVED IDENTIFICATION AND DIAGNOSTICS OF PLANT NEMATODES FOR SUSTAINABLE GRASS AND FORAGE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Objective 1: Identify and describe invasive and emerging plant-parasitic nematodes from forage and biomass legumes, turf, grasses, and associated rotation crops - including species of quarantine significance - to enable specific and timely management of these pests. (NP215 1B.4, 1B.5) Objective 2: Improve molecular methodologies for the identification and classification of nematodes from forage legumes and grasses in order to better predict and respond to nematode outbreaks and to improve detection and diagnostic methodologies to distinguish closely related or morphologically similar species. (NP215 1B.4, 1B.5, 3B) Subobjective 2A: Barcodes and markers for improved molecular phylogenies. Subobjective 2B: New molecular diagnostic assays. Subobjective 2C: DNA recovery and barcoding from formalin-fixed nematodes.