Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics, and Classification presents a comprehensive resource for those interested in nematode biosystematics. The microscopic size, character plasticity, habitat diversity, and habits of the nematodes have long posed several obstacles in their identification and derivation of evolutionary relationships. Unlike other animal groups, the exact diversity of the nematodes is also still significantly unknown, and except for some fossilized preservations in the ambers, any solid paleontological proof for these animals is lacking. In this critical bottleneck of having a solid comprehensive data profile in hand for phylogeny estimation, scientists are struggling to fully resolve the nematode evolutionary histories toward developing a definitive classification. This book takes advantage of the recent advances in molecular systematics along with the traditional proposals to create a single reference dataset for multiple scientific disciplines. By compiling and discussing the nematode classifications having been proposed over time, Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics and Classification establishes a foundational reference point upon which future research can be directed. Unlike other related books in this field mainly focused on a specific group or classification, this book includes the core theories and principles of taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, and diagnostic nematode identification with management of character and publication data. This book will surely prove to be invaluable for the students, researchers, and scientists.
1. Introduction
2. General principles for nematode taxonomy and systematics
3. Character and character types
4. Identification of nematodes
5. Note on molecular phylogeny and evolutionary history
6. Classification of nematodes with special reference to plant parasites
7. Representation and management of taxonomic data
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. Phanis 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. Castillos 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.
