Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes: Towards Understanding Field Variation Through Molecular Mechanisms

In the search for alternatives to nematicides, biological control has always remained in the shadow of plant resistance. However, basic research on the natural enemies of nematode pests can lead to much informative knowledge on host-parasite interactions. This review looks at the historical context of the use of natural enemies to control plant-parasitic nematodes. Initially looking at antibodies, phospholipid fatty acid analysis and DNA as techniques to assess field variation, we go on to suggest that ecological genomics as a discipline can be used to unify the disparate areas of genetics, microbiology, biochemistry and ecology, in a co-evolutionary context. By way of examples, using Arthrobotrys, Trichoderma and Pasteuria penetrans, genomics is used, within its ecological framework, as a way to promote hypothesis driven research which hitherto has been impossible. With the advent of synthetic biology, we suggest that key genes important in compatible host-parasite populations and that can act synergistically, will lead to an approach that paves the way for the development of designer biological control agents.