Nematology Section

Nematology Staff

Summary of the Nematology Section's Programs and Activities:

Current activities of this section are analyses of soil and plant samples for nematodes, identification of plant parasitic nematodes involved in regulatory and certification programs, pest detection surveys, and diagnosis of plant problems. The principle part of these samples are mandated by State of Florida Statutes and regulatory rules applicable to nematode pests. These samples include those from in-state programs, out-of-state and out-of-country plant shipments originating in Florida, and samples intercepted in Florida from outside the United States. Other functions focus on surveys to detect exotic nematode pests, describing new nematode species, maintenance of taxonomic data retrieval systems, nursery sanitation programs, host testing and biological control investigations.

Benefits from the Nematology Section's Programs

The Nematology Section was established in the mid-1950s because the burrowing nematode began causing serious decline of citrus in Central Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with citrus growers, launched regulatory programs to prevent the spread of this serious nematode pest of citrus. A very conservative estimate is that these regulatory programs prevented the spread of the burrowing nematode into 44,000 acres or 18,000 hectares. The benefits of these burrowing nematode regulatory programs for Florida's citrus growers from 1960 to 1994 is calculated to be 1.4 billion dollars.

Citrus nursery certification programs insure that seedlings produced in citrus nurseries are free of burrowing nematodes and other nematode pests. For the past 35 years these programs have been very effective in preventing the spread of nematode pests into Florida's citrus groves. Because citrus is a perennial crop which may be productive for 25 to 40 years, growers benefit for many years from planting certified seedlings. For the 1994-95 crop season alone, the benefit to growers from excluding nematodes from their groves through planting certified nematode-free seedlings was calculated to be 49 million dollars in on-tree value of fruit. There is a high return on the investment in these programs, since the total cost of the nematode certification programs in the same fiscal year was $68,700, or for every $1402 invested in the nematode certification programs for citrus there was a return of 1 million dollars to citrus growers.

Florida's ornamental industry also greatly benefits from the activities of the Nematology Section. Nematode certification programs for ornamental plants allow the ornamental industry of Florida to export plants to markets which are located in other states and countries which impose restrictions against nematode pests occurring in Florida. Without these certification programs many export markets would be closed to Florida's billion-dollar ornamental industry.

In addition, the Nematology Section's programs benefit the general public. Sanitation and certification programs which exclude nematodes lower pesticide use and thus impact favorably on the environment. These programs prevent the spread of nematodes which damage crops, lower production costs for growers and, in the end, result in lower food costs. It is also recognized that a strong vibrant economy in Florida is linked to the agricultural industry, especially healthy citrus and ornamental sectors.