An eco-friendly paradigm in soil disinfection: Formulation of a biostimulant to treat the potato cyst nematode plague

Potatoes are the third largest global plant crop for human consumption after rice and wheat. More than a billion people are eating potatoes, and the annual production is >370million metric tons. Potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) is a serious condition that affect crop yield adversely and are a serious economic debit for potato producers worldwide. PCNs causes a loss up to 10% of the gross global potato production, reducing the output by 30 million ton per year. Traditionally PCN has been kept under control by use of nematicides in combination with crop rotation, resistant cultivars and hygiene regimes. The three later control regimes have shown unsufficient and nematicides are the most toxic and environmentally harmful among all pesticides. As of 2015 EU prohibited traditional nematicides out of safety and environmental concerns. Such pesticides can only be used upon an exemption from the ban, which will only be granted as long as there are no other alternatives. Scientists at NMBU have discovered a novel biostimulant that are influencing the hatching mechanism of PCNs. By trigging evolutionary and natural mechanisms the PCN cysts are manipulated to hatch in the absents of the host plant. The newly hatched nematodes is completely dependent on the potato plant to survive and will consequently starve and die before it fulfils the lifecycle. The NMBU biostimulant is the first environmentally friendly, species specific alternative to nematicides. Within this project we aim to integrate the novel biostimulant in an agricultural product that easily can be implemented worldwide without technological adaptions. The biostimulant will give potato farmer all-year control of the hatching and has the potential to reduce PCN quarantines from 40 to 2 years in infected soil. Potato farmers will benefit from increased annual yields and reduced operating expenses.