6.

PHYLUM NEMATODA

Nematodes are a group of worms. They occur naturally and are very hard to detect visually. These are
common soil pests that affect plants. The soil at low levels contains numerous Nematodes. Nematodes can
enter the farm through infected transplants. They are parasites of both plants and animals and attack the
insects also. However, they cause severe damage to plants. But not all Nematodes are harmful to the plants.
Some play an essential role in nutrient recycling.

Commonly known as roundworms, they are unsegmented vermiform pests. They are free-living organisms.
Sometimes they enter the plant to extract nutrients from the root cell. They stress tolerance of the plant.
Plants abundant with water and nutrients help can tolerate nematode attacks. Once they are present in the
soil, It is almost impossible to eliminate.

Nematoda - Definition, Characteristics and Classification

Following are the Nematodes Characteristics

Tubular in appearance. It has an elongated and thin body (hair-like).
The alimentary canal is distinct, but the head and tail are not visually different.
The majority of these are tiny and can be microscopic.
They are free-living organisms.
They reproduce sexually. They produce amoeboid sperm cells.
They have a nervous system.
They are parasites of both plants and animals.
They have cuticles that moult periodically.
Classification of Nematodes

Approximately 15000 species of Nematoda have been identified till now. Some nematodes live in the roots of
plants; some spend their life inside the plants. These are not plant-specific. Following are the main three
classes of Nematodes that has been classified further in subclasses and subclasses:

Nematodes are multicellular eukaryotic organisms like other organisms (animals, plants, most algae, fungi,
Metazoa, and protists) in the kingdom Animalia. Their cells contain a nucleus and other organelles. They
obtain nutrients from organic sources, just like other organisms.

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of the nematodes and their immediate relatives from the Metazoans family still
remain unresolved. They were assigned to the group Ecdysozoa during the 1990s together with moulting
animals (such as arthropods). However, they were identified quite succinctly with their closest relatives of
Nematodes evidently by the morphological characters and molecular phylogenies. They are placed in a sister
taxon to the parasitic Nematomorpha, which form Nematoda. The Scalidophora and Nematoda from the clade
Cycloneuralia, but with some disagreement between the available morphological and molecular pieces of
evidence. Cycloneuralia, with the validity of the available data, often makes the rank of superphylum.

Anatomy

Nematodes are about 5 to 100 µm thick and 0.1 to 2.5 mm long. They could be from the microscopic range to
as much as 5 cm, while some could be even larger, reaching over 1m in length. The body has ridges, rings,
bristles, or other distinctive structures.

The radially symmetric head of a nematode is relatively distinct, while the rest of the body is bilaterally
symmetrical, having sensory bristles protruding outwards around the mouth. The mouth, which often bears
teeth, has either three or six lips. The caudal gland is often found at the tip of the tail.

The epidermis is a single layer of cells covered by thick collagenous cuticles. The cuticle is of a complex
structure and has distinct layers. Beneath the epidermis, a layer of longitudinal muscle cells is found. The
relatively rigid cuticle with the muscles forms a hydroskeleton. Projections originate from the underlines of
muscle cells towards the nerve cords in which nerve cells normally extend fibres into the muscles

Digestive System

In carnivorous species, the oral cavity is lined with cuticles strengthened by ridges. The mouth often includes a
sharp stylet to thrust into its prey. The stylet could be hollow and be used for sucking liquids from plants or
animals. Digestive glands are found in the pharynx, producing enzymes that start to break down the food. The
stomach is absent, with the pharynx connecting directly to an intestine that forms the main gut. This produces
further enzymes to absorb the available nutrients with the help of its single-cell thick lining. The rectum is
further lined by tiny cuticles to expel the waste generated through the anus just below and at the tail tip.

Excretory System

Nematodes excrete nitrogenous waste in the form of ammonia through the body wall, while salts are excreted
by osmoregulation. In many marine nematodes, there are renette glands present. These glands are
responsible to excrete salt through a pore present on the animal’s ventral side. The transverse duct opens into
a common canal connecting the excretory pore in mostly other nematodes.

Nervous System

Four peripheral nerves are found to run along the length of the body on the dorsal, ventral, and lateral
surfaces. The ventral nerve is the largest, while the dorsal nerve is responsible for motor control and the
lateral nerves are for sensory actions. The nervous system contains cilia which are all nonmotile with a sensory
function. The body of nematodes is shielded with numerous sensory bristles to provide the touch sense. Two
small pits or 'amphids' have nerve cells and chemoreception organs.

Agriculture and Horticulture

Depending on its species, a nematode might be useful or detrimental to plant health. Two categories of
nematodes are the predatory ones, which kill garden pests, while the pest nematodes (root-knot nematode)
attack plants. There are vectors spreading plant viruses between crop plants. Eelworms or plant-parasitic
nematodes often attack leaves and buds. Parasitic nematodes can be managed by the rotation of plants of
nematode-resistant species. Natural antagonist such as the fungus Gliocladium roseum is used as a treatment
method. Chitosan produces plant defence responses to destroy parasitic growth of nematodes on roots of
various crops such as soybean, corn, sugar beet etc., without harming beneficial nematodes in the soil.
However, soil steaming is an effective method to kill nematodes and eliminate both harmful and beneficial soil
microbiota.