10-21 IAN Nematodes in Wheat

Nematodes are just  found in potatoes, right?  Wrong. Nematodes are microscopic "worms" that are practically transparent. Root lesion nematodes thrive where other nematodes don't. By invading plant roots and carrying on most of their lifecycle inside the root, they remain active when the absence of free soil moisture would limit most nematodes. Looking at a wheat crop affected by nematodes one might notice poor yield and a seeming "failure to thrive" in a wheat field that had adequate nutrients, moisture and sunshine.Well nematodes have made an unwelcome appearance here in Idaho according to Tereasa Waterman with the Idaho Wheat Commission.  “We have been having nematode issues in the Pacific Northwest and potato growers are very familiar with nematodes and now we have been seeing it more in wheat. Once they determine that they have a nematode problem there are things that farmers can do, rotation, make sure that they rotate their crops, there is also some chemical and biological and genetic controls that they can use to control nematodes in their wheatfields.”