http://animoto.com/play/picSgL6Ql8ieH2kGuZLh4Q

nematode essay

Many people do not know why the prices of fruits and veggies are so high. One of the many causes is a little microscopic bug called nematodes. These tiny little things can do more damage than anyone thinks. These bugs can be worse than droughts or floods. They spread diseases, kill plants, cost farmers thousands, decrease yield, and are extremely expensive to kill. A gallon of pesticides is eight hundred dollars and only covers five acres. This pesticide is like dropping a nuclear bomb you cannot harvest anything for seven weeks after being sprayed. People will still wonder why it is all expensive but, why do they care so much about the prices when they do not know what it takes to grow it all. They go to the source, ask a farmer. People should not complain about the prices for what all the farmers go through to get that product on the shelves. I work at a farmers market and you hear people complain all the times. Some people will buy for quality but others will buy if it is ten cents cheaper. If people knew how nematodes affect the price of food then they will care more about how that product gets on the shelves and the pesticides used even though scientists are working on an alternative for these pesticides.

            Nematodes spread diseases by effecting one plant then moving onto the next one until they are all damaged. If you see any signs of nematodes which are curling of the leaves, turning yellow and many more. The best way to get rid of the disease they are going to spread is to just pull that plant from the ground and put it somewhere that is away from your other plants. If farmers do not catch this in time they can lose entire crops or have major loss. It takes a lot to go around hundreds of acres searching for one plant affected by these diseases. Farmers will just use pesticides to get rid of them. A lot of people are concerned about these pesticides and want farmers to use organic pesticides. These pesticides are a lot more expensive and it takes a lot more. The use of any kind of pesticide has a correlation to the price of food. If the plants are affected by any disease that year they have to pay more to get rid of that disease then the price of food goes up.

            Scientists are trying to find a cheaper way to get rid of these bugs and any other bugs. But even though it may be cheaper it may not kill as many bugs and the plants will still get diseases. If they still get affected than there is no point in using something cheaper when you will have to pay to get rid of the disease.

            Nematodes do not only affect plants by spreading diseases. They can kill the roots and take nutrients out of the plants. In Virginia corn has usually not been effected by anything. Lately there have been signs of increasing populations of nematodes that have started to affect that corn. Anything that affects that corn will most likely raise the price, then that’s when people start to worry. The most damaging nematodes are Root Know, Root Lesions, Spiral, Burrowing, Bulb and stem, Reniform, Dagger, and bulb and leaf. These are just a few of the thousands of different types of nematodes, some are bad and some are good. Only a few kinds of nematodes actually affect plants while some can actually be helpful.

            If people did know the real reason to why food is so expensive then they would want to care more about the price and the quality. People really do not know how much fertilizer costs. The cost of it has actually tripled. A farmer that lives near me would pick up a dump truck full that would cost three thousand dollars. Last year he went to pick up the same amount and it was almost ten thousand dollars. People would want those farmers to use cheaper chemicals, but if it has less quality in it then they have to use more and it will just cost the same in the long run.

            Some alternative types of fertilizer instead of using chemicals can be using manure. Although this is a cheaper method to help the plants grow it does not work as well. You can also call this organic. The yield of the crops is less and the fruits do not get as big either. Farmers are not allowed to use raw manure ninety days before harvest. Another bad thing about this is that it comes from animals and can also carry the sicknesses from the animals and put it into the plants.

            People care greatly about what is used on the plants and how it gets to the stores for their enjoyment. They want farmers to use the best things that are good for their health. There are a lot of downfalls to the cheap fertilizer and pesticides and will just cost more later on. If they care so much they should help to find any kind of alternative that is the best for everyone. After reading this and all the facts how does it make you feel about this? Would you care more or less about this and are you willing to go further into it.

Works Cited

"Lohr: Create Your Own Future." Southeast Farm Press 36.6 (2009): 4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

"Telone Shortage Sends Growers Searching For Alternatives." Southeast Farm Press 36.10 (2009): 24. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2012

“Nematode Interview with father.” Jesse Grazewski. Interview. November 9, 2012

“Nematode Interview with patty.” Jesse Grazewski Interview. November 9, 2012

Balderson, Keith. "Nematodes Increasing In Virginia Corn Crop." Southeast Farm Press 36.6 (2009): 4. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2012

Dagger Nematode. 2012. n.p. Web. 9 Nov 2012. <http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ipm/manual/rasp/nematodes.html>.

Daniel L. Coyne, et al. "Awareness Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, And Preferred Maize Varieties, Among Smallholder Farmers In East And Southern Uganda: Implications For                                Assessing Nematode Resistance Breeding Needs In African Maize." International Journal Of Pest Management 56.3 (2010): 217-222.Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

Kagoda, FrankDerera, JohnTongoona, PangirayiCoyne, Daniel L. "Awareness Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, And Preferred Maize Varieties, Among Smallholder Farmers In East And Southern Uganda: Implications For Assessing Nematode Resistance Breeding Needs In African Maize." International Journal Of Pest Management 56.3 (2010): 217. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 18 Sept. 2012

MCSORLEY, Robert. "Effect Of Disturbances On Trophic Groups In Soil Nematode Assemblages." Nematology 13.5 (2011): 553-559. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

MCSORLEY, Robert. "Effect Of Disturbances On Trophic Groups In Soil Nematode Assemblages." Nematology 13.5 (2011): 553. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.

Scanning electron micrograph of soybean cyst nematode and its egg. 2012. n.p. Web. 9 Nov 2012.

Tylka, Greg. Plant parasite. 2006. n.p. Web. 9 Nov 2012.

WESEMAEL, Wim M. L.VIAENE, Nicole MOENS, Maurice. "Root-Knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne Spp) In Europe." Nematology 13.1 (2011): 3. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 14 Sept. 2012

videos from documentary (they would not show the full thing)

essential questions

1. how do nematodes effect the farmers crops?
2. if the crops are damaged how much does it cost the farmers?
3. how does the amount of money spent effect how much it costs in the stores?
4. if people know why the price is so high will they want to do something about it?
5. is there any way you can kill nematodes?

Effect of disturbances on trophic groups in soil nematode assemblages

In the passage “Effect of disturbances on trophic groups in soil nematode assemblages” the author Robert McSorley states that nematodes are abundant in soil ecosystems, where they have a variety of important function (Effect of disturbances). Plant parasites do not decompose the plants but they obtain food and energy directly from plant roots (effects of disturbances). Ni, Zn, Cu can reduce the number of omnivores and predators in soil. It makes short-term effects on them but if there are plants and if they can still feed they don’t go away. Soil fumigation is a way to get rid of nematodes. The bad thing about this is once the field is fumigated they will just move to some other part that has not been sprayed for them yet. The author is trying to tell us that there is no way to get rid of nematodes, we just slow them down. They cost so much for farmers and effects their crops greatly.
MCSORLEY, Robert. "Effect Of Disturbances On Trophic Groups In Soil Nematode Assemblages." Nematology 13.5 (2011): 553-559. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

Lohr: Create your own future nematodes

In the passage “Lohr: create your own future nematodes” the author Keith Balderson states that nematodes have not effected corn but there are some indication that nematode populations are shifting and increasing and injury to corn may be increased (Lohr). The use of insecticides to seeds can actually increase the nematode population. There have been several samples that were found of sting nematodes, a species that can cause significant yield loss in sandy soils (Lohr).
"Lohr: Create Your Own Future." Southeast Farm Press 36.6 (2009): 4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

Awareness of plant-parasitic nematodes

In the article “awareness of plant-parasitic nematodes” the authors Frank Kagoda, John Derera, Pangirayi Tongoona and, Daniel L. Coyne state that grain loss has been reported in maize from nematodes. In Kenya an estimated fifty percent yield loss was due to root-lesion nematodes. There is no germaplast that can eliminate nematodes from the soil (awareness of plant-parasitic nematodes). Even though this is happening many people do not know why this happens. They also state that farmers do now know what to look for on their crops to see if there is nematode damage. The authors have made this article to inform people about nematodes. If more people know about nematodes and how they affect crops and how much they cost farmers more people will know why the prices in the store are so high.
Daniel L. Coyne, et al. "Awareness Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, And Preferred Maize Varieties, Among Smallholder Farmers In East And Southern Uganda: Implications For Assessing Nematode Resistance Breeding Needs In African Maize." International Journal Of Pest Management 56.3 (2010): 217-222.Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

Animoto

http://animoto.com/play/qQSLGiyTZqHGyfXRtZw4mA

Wordle #1

How do nematodes effect the price on food, and how will it effect the economy?

Story behind my topic

            Have you ever wondered why food prices keep going up? Well one major cause is a little microscopic bug that lives in the ground, they are called nematodes. Nematodes effect everything that grows. If you try to grow some tomato plants and you wonder why they get all yellow even though you water and give them fertilizer. It’s because you did not treat the dirt they were put in for diseases that were not killed because there was no cold winter, and for these tiny little killer bugs. They attack these plants in three different manners, the outside of the roots, root knot nematodes, and in the stem or leaves of the plant. When nematodes attack the plant turns yellow and wilts or the entire plant will die. If you see this happen immediately remove the plant and put it away from the garden. If you don’t they will spread and kill the others.