Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics and Classification

Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics and Classification offers a comprehensive and authoritative resource for researchers, students, and professionals engaged in nematode biosystematics. The microscopic size, morphological plasticity, and broad ecological diversity have long complicated the efforts to accurately identify nematode species and reconstruct their evolutionary relationships. Unlike many other animal groups, the full extent of nematode species richness remains largely unknown, and aside from rare fossilized specimens preserved in amber, paleontological evidence is minimal.

This book confronts these challenges by integrating recent advances in molecular systematics with traditional taxonomic frameworks to build a unified reference dataset. It critically surveys the historical classification models and establishes a solid foundation for advancing research on nematode evolution and phylogeny. Rather than concentrating on isolated taxa, it presents a broad conceptual toolkit―encompassing diagnostic techniques, hierarchical organizations, and evolutionary analyses―that directly supports the management of character data and robust taxonomic publications. With its interdisciplinary scope and emphasis on both theoretical and practical diagnostics, this book is poised to become an essential reference for those working in agriculture, plant protection, and nematology.

• Presents foundational concepts in taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, and classification
• Guides in the identification of economically important plant-parasitic nematodes
• Offers strategies for selecting appropriate tools in phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary lineage reconstruction
• Traces the historical development of nematode classification toward a coherent and natural framework

Dr. Victor Phani is currently serving as an Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Entomology at College of Agriculture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India. He received his BSc (Ag) Hons degree from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India, and MSc and PhD from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. He visited the University of Hertfordshire, UK for his ad-interim PhD research. He has been the recipient of multiple awards and gold medals for his research excellence, and published several research and review articles in journals of international and national repute. He is also engaged in different projects financed by government and private sectors as Principal Investigator and Co- Principal Investigator. Phani’s research has focused on host-parasite interaction, biocontrol, and taxonomic and ecological studies of the plant-parasitic nematodes.

Dr. Pablo Castillo is currently serving as Research Scientist, Department of Crop Protection at Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Spanish National Research Council, Córdoba, Spain. He received his B.Sc. in Biology at the University of Granada, Spain, in June 1984 and his Ph.D. in Nematology at the University of Granada in December 1988. He joined the Department of Crop Protection at the Centre for Agricultural Research and Formation in Granada from the regional government of Andalusia in 1989. In 1990 he was recipient of the Phytopathological Research Award ‘Antonio Ciccarone’, from the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union, and in 1992 moved to Córdoba (Spain) to the Department of Crop Protection at the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture belonging to the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, where he is now a research scientist. Castillo’s research has focused primarily on plant-nematode and nematode-soilborne fungi interactions, as well as diagnosis of nematode diseases, host-parasite relationships and nematode control by means of strategies compatible with sustainable agriculture. He has produced more than 280 peer reviewed research articles and co-authored several comprehensive monographs of the plant-parasitic nematode genera Rotylenchus, Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne.