1. Genomics of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Implications for Pest Control
- Author
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Lu, Dihong, Baiocchi, Tiffany, and Dillman, Adler R
- Subjects
Veterinary Sciences ,Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Medical Microbiology ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Human Genome ,Biotechnology ,Genetics ,Generic health relevance ,Agriculture ,Animals ,Genomics ,Nematoda ,Pest Control ,Biological ,biological control ,entomopathogenic nematodes ,genomics ,Biological Sciences ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Mycology & Parasitology ,Veterinary sciences ,Medical microbiology - Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been used in biological control but improvement is needed to realize their full potential for broader application in agriculture. Some improvements have been gained through selective breeding and the isolation of additional species and populations. Having genomic sequences for at least six EPNs opens the possibility of genetic improvement, either by facilitating the selection of candidate genes for hypothesis-driven studies of gene-trait relations or by genomics-assisted breeding for desirable traits. However, the genomic data will be of limited use without a more mechanistic understanding of the genes underlying traits that are important for biological control. Additionally, molecular tools are required to fully translate the genomic resources into further functional studies and better biological control.
- Published
- 2016