Service areas
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Pest control in agricultural crops
Plant nematode management
Soil health
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Learn more about our services here.
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—Pest Control
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Entomopathogenic nematodes, also called beneficial nematodes, have deleterious effects on certain insects. They have proven to be effective biological control agents of numerous insect pests, with no adverse impacts on human, animals, plants or earthworms.
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Due to their symbiotic associations with certain bacteria, which are introduced by the nematode inside the insect body, they can quickly kill their host—within 48 h—by causing septicemia. The use of entomopathogenic nematodes may contribute to the successful control of insect pests using environmentally friendly strategies, thereby reducing the impact of pesticides on human health and environment. In addition, they are easy to mass produce either in vivo or in vitro and are easily applied using conventional equipment.
—Plant nematode management
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Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic organisms that feed on the roots of plants.
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At high populations, they are capable of causing severe damages to agricultural crops including, horticultural plants, orchards, and vineyards. Some nematodes are even capable of transmitting certain viruses to their host plants. Crop scouting and nematode analysis provide tools to assist in the management and risk assessment for plant-parasitic nematodes. A nematode analysis is an enumeration of all plant-parasitic nematodes present in a sample (Meloidogyne, Heterodera, Globodera, Pratylenchus, Xiphinema,...).
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—Soil health
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Nematode communities in soils reflect soil characteristics, management practices and the effects of pollutants. An analysis of nematode communities provides useful tools for soil health assessment.
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A nematode faunal analysis is based on a trophic classification—herbivores, fungivores, bacterivores, omnivores, carnivores—and ecological indices—Maturity Index (MI; MI2-5); Structure Index (SI); Enrichment Index (EI); Channel Index (CI). Nematodes have been successfully used as environmental indicators of soil best management practices (BMP) for Green infrastructure and road landscape design, and for assessing the invasive effect of certain alien plants such as the camphorweed, Heterotheca subaxillaris.