TABLE CONTENTS

SESSION THIRTY-TWO – NEMATODE MANAGEMENT IN
INDUSTRIAL AND ENERGY CROPS
CONVENORS: HADDISH MELAKEBERHAN & GERARD KORTHALS
Roles for Nematology in Understanding Renewable Energy Needs and
Balancing Food and Socio-economic Interests
Melakeberhan, H.
Agricultural Nematology Laboratory, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
The finite nature of fossil fuel combined with greenhouse gas effects on global warming are
factors that affect every living organism and make a strong case for alternative and renewable
energy resources. The technology to achieve short- and/or long-term renewable energy
sources either exists or it is at varying stages of development. However, most of the current
and potential plant-based renewable energy sources like sugar cane, corn, soybeans, rapeseed,
palm, cassava and yam (to mention a few) are crops where hundreds of millions of people
depend on for many aspects of their daily life. Specifically, food security, land use,
biodiversity and socio-economic factors associated with the production of the crops in
question are major issues in developing countries. Thus, there is a need for sustained
understanding of the issues for the benefit of all. Against this background and regardless of
what controversies may exist, this presentation will discuss what roles nematology can play
in creating bridges towards biological solutions for some of the challenges associated with
production practices. These include: i) Getting nematology to proactively participate (along
other disciplines) in the development of the genetic improvement of the target crops. In
addition to limited knowledge of the status of most of the potential renewable energy crops
against nematodes (e.g. switch grass), there is limited polygenic resistance to nematodes in
current crops, and the renewable energy crops are being selected for other than nematode
resistance. At the very least, proactive participation will help to identify nematode
management options that will increase the returns from the technological investments on the
potential crops. ii) Using nematodes as indicators of biological land degradation due to
monocropping and other practices, and incorporating soil fertility use efficiency models that
assess for agronomic, economic, environmental and nematode management factors when
changing soil conditions to improve crop production.
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