The root-knot, reniform, cyst, burrowing, and lesion nematodes, all of which have spear-like mouthparts used to puncture plant roots and collect nutrients, are the most common soil-borne plant-parasitic nematodes affecting agricultural systems in Hawaii. These worms wreak havoc on a wide range of crops, causing enormous economic losses. Crop production and quality are lowered after worm infection, either directly due to root deformation caused by nematode feeding or indirectly due to propensity to infection by other pathogens produced by nematode penetration into the roots.
