Gene scientists lift veil on devastating plant parasite
An international team of 27 laboratories said on Sunday they had laid bare the genetic code of a tiny parasite responsible for billions of dollars in crop losses each year. The worm, known as the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), infests plant roots leaving them gnarled. More than 3,000 crop types are affected, especially coffee, cotton, tomatoes, melons and cucumbers. Sequencing the worm's genome could open the way to smarter, less toxic pesticides and other greener methods to curb the little menace, the researchers.