ABSTRACT
The nematodes are vulnerable to attack by other organisms, notably by nematophagous fungi, both in their vermiform, or wormlike, stages by nematode-trapping and endoparasitic fungi and as eggs and females by the fungal parasites of sedentary nematodes. The adhesion may include a lectin-carbohydrate interaction, presence of an adhesive, and activity of extracellular fungal enzymes. In addition to detecting nematophagous fungi, there is a need for techniques to quantify these fungi in soil. Authors have devised a method that uses a combination of the differential centrifugation technique and most probable number estimations for the quantification of the number of propagules of nematophagous fungi. Information on the influence of soil characteristics on growth and trapping ability of these fungi is of great importance when the use of nematophagous fungi in biological control is considered.
