Pasteuria Species for Nematodes Management in Organic Farms

Growing interest in safe and clean crop production has increased the areas allocated for organic farming systems, worldwide. Apart from synthetic nematicides, organic growers deploy only natural resources and compounds. Because plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) can seriously influence yield losses of numerous important food/non-food crops globally, biological control agents (BCA) have been developed as such proper resources. Pasteuria spp. as BCA can reduce crop losses and assist in developing effective and safe PPN management. The obligate parasitic nature and biodiversity of these bacteria offer biocontrol merits. Related traits of Pasteuria members are reviewed here to optimize biocontrol efficiency. Soil added endospores may promptly initiate and deliver season-long activity and operate under relatively harsh ecological conditions and soil pH. They do not disturb non-target organisms and are favored for integration with other methods to manage PPN in organic farms, such as crop rotation and PPN-resistant cultivars. The endospores are resistant to drying, mechanical shearing, and heat. Biotic and abiotic factors affecting the potential of Pasteuria spp. and their efficacy against PPN are presented for their sound use. Pasteuria isolates should be tested to choose the most proper one(s) for biocontrol in certain areas. Effective techniques of using Pasteuria members against PPN in organic agriculture are herein addressed. Further, this chapter also highlights the proper approaches/commercial products of Pasteuria spp. against different nematode pests to maximize gains. Practical use of Pasteuria spp. would preferably be done on a case-by-case basis to suite the factors prevailing in a field.