Contents: Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. Checklist of plant and soil nematodes. References. Index.

The plant and soil nematodes constitute one of the most important animal groups in terrestrial fauna. Some of these nematodes are plant parasites phytophagous while others are either saprophagous or predacious. The parasites of plants cause considerable damage to agricultural and horticultural crops. The nematodes belonging to saprophagous and predacious groups are also important because the former maintain natural balance in soil ecosystems and the latter act as agent for biological control of nematode parasites of plants. The economic importance of these nematodes has led to the emergence of nematology as independent discipline in biological and agricultural sciences during the second half of twentieth century. The analysis of Indian nematology literature reveals that wealth of information has been gathered on basic as well as applied aspects of plant and soil nematodes during last five decades. (jacket)