ABSTRACT
In general, plant-parasitic nematodes that may detrimentally affect soybean production are microscopic roundworms that feed on or are in plant roots. They are obligate parasites, meaning that they cannot use any other food source and require a living, reasonably healthy (not necessarily economically productive) host in order to survive and reproduce. As such, they rarely kill their hosts. They exist in virtually all soils that support plant growth and comprise an important component of the soil biota and its ecosystem services.
