News on Potato Cyst Nematodes from Asia

Kobe University found that potatoes secrete a molecule (SEC) that microbes convert into compounds triggering potato parasite hatching. This three-way interaction could help develop 'suicide hatching' methods to control crop-damaging nematodes.

Potatoes are increasingly traded globally, raising the risk of spreading quarantined pests and diseases. Organizations like EPPO and national bodies regulate many of these threats, necessitating a unified approach to pest and disease management.

In an effort to limit the spread of the Potato Cyst Nematode, the government of India has prohibited the movement of seed potatoes from Himachal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Jammu Kashmir to other states

Potato cultivation in the highlands of Indonesia is plagued by a number of pests, including Potato Cyst Nematodes and Phytophthora infestans. Dutch experts help their Indonesian counterparts to find the right approach for control.

The Jordan Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday said that a shipment at the Aqaba Port, Jordan, carrying 10,000 tonnes of potatoes allegedly infested with potato cyst nematodes, will not be allowed into the country.

The Salim Group, one of Indonesia's largest business groups, signed a R&D agreement worth $10 million with seed producer East West Seed Indonesia in The Hague last Friday to boost potato production in Indonesia.