Amongst the various constraints facing cassava production are plant parasitic nematodes. Many nematode species have been reported associated with cassava but few are reported to have caused economic damage to the crop.
Meloidogyne incognita
,
M. javanica, and
Pratylenchus brachyurus
are the species most associated with such damage. The majority of research on cassava nematodes has been concerned primarily with varietal screening for resistance and geographical distribution from diagnostic surveys. There is relatively little documentation on the effects of nematodes on yield, or the extend of damage they may cause in the field. Losses of up to 98% in storage root yield have been recorded under heavy infestation by
Meloidogyne
spp. With an increase in large scale and monoculture cultivation and where pressure for land use has increased, nematodes may pose and increasing threat as constraints to cassava production. The most likely method of control appears to lie in the identification of resistant lines.
