Bioactivated and selective: A promising new family of nematicides with a novel mode of action

Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are notorious agricultural and forestry pests; they have been estimated to cause over $157 billion USD of crop losses globally every year ( Singh et al., 2015 Singh S. Singh B. Singh A.P. Nematodes: A Threat to Sustainability of Agriculture. Procedia Environmental Sciences. 2015; 29: 215-216https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.270 Crossref Google Scholar ). However, the actual damage due to PPNs is likely much bigger than estimated. Wounds produced by PPNs can increase the susceptibility of crops to fungal, oomycete, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Furthermore, many nematode diseases, especially those associated with root-feeding nematodes, are difficult to diagnose and thus poorly managed in developing countries.