Dr. Anju Kamra is a Principal Scientist at Division of Nematology, ICAR-IARI in New Delhi. She says ” Polyhouse cultivation of vegetables is increasingly being adopted by the Indian farmer accompanied by nematode pest infestation, esp. root-knot (Meloidogyne incognita) and reniform (Rotylenchulus reniformis) nematodes, which once introduced, become difficult to manage. This is due to the favorable temperature and moisture and long duration varieties which enable the completion of several life cycles of the pests. The number of infective juveniles in the soil may range from 1-3 J2/cc soil at preplant to upto 80-J2/cc soil at crop maturity. The nematodes predispose the plants to fungal pathogens like Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina, etc.; leading to rotting of roots and wilting followed by mortality of plants. The management approaches include phytosanitary measures, use of non-host cultivars, periodic application of bioagents and preplant application of chemical pesticides.The nematode problem in polyhouses is challenging that needs awareness and regulation.”