Potato cyst nematode is an expensive problem throughout the world and efforts to control its spread affect the movement of produce in 106 countries. Widespread use of resistant potato varieties and nematicides means that major crop losses are now rare, but future control is still a vexed issue. Nematodes may be tiny worms but some of them can cause big problems. One of these is the potato cyst nematode (PCN). Potato plants infected with PCN first occur in isolated patches which become larger with each new crop. Infested plants flower late, are stunted and may wilt. Leaves often yellow early. As infestations increase, production becomes affected. PCN can survive in soil for many years in the absence of hosts.
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