Beet cyst nematode

Beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii Schmidt) can cause ‘sickness’ in sugar beet, mangels and red beet where host crops of the nematode have been grown too frequently in the rotation. Beet cyst nematode occurs, and is a potential threat to intensive sugar beet crop­ping, in all temperate countries. Where the nematode is established it is important to lessen the risk of crop damage by adopting suitable crop rotations.