Potato cyst nematodes: New solutions to an old problem

Potato cyst nematodes (PCN), Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis are sedentary endoparasites that cause great yield losses in potato crops and are currently considered a serious economic threat. Both species are A2 quarantine pests for the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. PCN control is difficult because of their biology, long survival in the absence of their hosts and the measures available being insufficient and limited due to restrictions on the use of chemical pesticides. During the nematode life cycle and after infection by the second-stage juveniles, a feeding structure is formed, the syncytium, which allows further nematode development. Solanum sisymbriifolium is a non-tuber plant from the Solanaceae family, that is resistant to PCN and used as a trap crop. Second-stage juveniles penetrate S. sisymbriifolium roots and establish the syncytium, but further nematode development is inhibited. Thus, understanding the molecular basis under S. sisymbriifolium mechanism of resistance is important and will contribute to developing new PCN control strategies. Some of the known molecular mechanisms of PCN infection, plant defense and molecular resistance mechanisms are explored in this review.