Potato cyst nematode

Globodera pallida, Globodera rostochiensis

Foliar symptoms

• Patches (often clearly defined) of slower growth and delayed flowering

Root symptoms

• Cysts on the roots
• Bushy root structure
• The cysts are visible in early June if temperatures are sufficiently high
• In cases of severe infection, the whole root structure is stunted
• G. pallida: Cysts range in colour from white to dirty white to brown
• G.rostochiensis: Cysts range in colour from white to golden yellow to brown

Infestation and spread

• Cysts (containing eggs and larvae) in the soil
• Erosion and movement of soil with machines
• Host plants: tomato, volunteer potato plants, bulb crops, solanaceous weeds