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)