PLANT NEMATODES THE GROWER SHOULD KNOW


tode folded and wound up inside the larval molt from which it finally
escapes as a mature male.
 It is evident that during its life cycle a root-knot nematode passes
a prolonged period inside the host plant, possibly from three to five
months. The egg and the migratory larvae are the only stages that may
normally occur free in the soil. In control procedures this is an important
point. Fumigants applied to the soil sometimes reach only larvae and
eggs free in the soil, while specimens inside a root, particularly if it is
woody, may not be affected. The complete uprooting of plants will


 Figure 17.-Photomicrograph of female root-knot nematodes embedded in the
tissue of a potato of which a thin surface portion was sliced off. In potatoes these
adult females may often be recognized with the naked eye. x 3