Parasitic nematodes that damage crops are called plant-parasitic nematodes, or ‘nematodes’ for short. Every year, plant parasitic nematodes cause an estimated €110 billion in agricultural losses worldwide. Due to global warming and climate change, we are already seeing damage caused by exotic – tropical – nematode species that were previously unknown in our region. Unfortunately, there are very limited options for controlling nematodes in crop production. Some species have a very wide range of host plants, which makes crop rotation ineffective for such species. The most effective are preventive measures, which prevent the introduction and spread of harmful nematodes to agricultural land.
Areas of work
Research
- Early detection of nematodes infestation
- Control and management of nematodes (including biotic approaches)
- Study of biology of nematodes (e.g., virulence, survival)
- Genomic studies of nematodes
- Nematodes as vectors for plant virus transmission
- Development of diagnostics for nematodes
- Modeling of potential distribution of nematodes (including climate change scenarios)
- Modeling of the life cycle of nematodes
Expert work
- Nematode diagnostics: detection and identification (morphological, molecular and biochemical species identification)
- Advice on nematode control measures
- Systematic surveillance of quarantine species: potato cyst nematodes Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida, pine cyst nematodes Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, and root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne chitwoodi, M. fallax
- Control of other quarantine and economically harmful species (M. enterolobii, M. graminicola, Ditylenchus dipsaci, D. destructor, Xiphinema americanum, X. index, Aphelenchoides besseyi, etc.)
Members of the nematology group
Barbara Gerič Stare, PhD, Saša Širca, PhD, Julija Polanšek, Melita Theuerschuh, PhD, Nik Susič, PhD
Selected publications
POLANŠEK, Julija, TRDAN, Stanislav, ŠIRCA, Saša. Ogorčica Xiphinema index Thorne & Allen, 1950, prenašalec virusa pahljačavosti listov vinske trte. Acta agriculturae Slovenica. [Spletna izd.]. 2024, vol. 120, no. 3, 10 pp. ISSN 1854-1941. https://journals.uni-lj.si/aas/article/view/19008/16395, Repozitorij Univerze v Ljubljani – RUL, Digitalna knjižnica Slovenije – dLib.si, DOI: 10.14720/aas.2024.120.3.19008.
ŽIBRAT, Uroš, GERIČ STARE, Barbara, KNAPIČ, Matej, SUSIČ, Nik, LAPAJNE, Janez, ŠIRCA, Saša. Detection of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne luci infestation of potato tubers using hyperspectral remote sensing and real-time PCR molecular methods. Remote sensing. 2021, vol. 13, iss. 10, pp. 1-21, ilustr. ISSN 2072-4292. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/10/1996.
SUSIČ, Nik, JANEŽIČ, Sandra, RUPNIK, Maja, GERIČ STARE, Barbara. Whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics of two nematicidal bacillus strains reveals a wide range of possible virulence factors. G3. Mar. 2020, vol. 10, iss. 3, pp. 881-890, ilustr. ISSN 2160-1836. DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400716.
SUSIČ, Nik, KOUTSOVOULOS, Georgios D., RICCIO, Cristian, DANCHIN, Étienne G. J., BLAXTER, Mark L., LUNT, David H., STRAJNAR, Polona, ŠIRCA, Saša, UREK, Gregor, GERIČ STARE, Barbara. Genome sequence of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne luci. Journal of nematology. 2020, vol. 52, e2020-25, pp. 1-5. ISSN 0022-300X. https://www.exeley.com/journal_of_nematology/doi/10.21307/jofnem-2020-025, DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2020-025.
SUSIČ, Nik, ŽIBRAT, Uroš, SINKOVIČ, Lovro, VONČINA, Andrej, RAZINGER, Jaka, KNAPIČ, Matej, SEDLAR, Aleš, ŠIRCA, Saša, GERIČ STARE, Barbara. From genome to field-observation of the multimodal nematicidal and plant growth-promoting effects of Bacillus firmus I-1582 on tomatoes using hyperspectral remote sensing. Plants. 2020, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 1-27. ISSN 2223-7747. DOI: 10.3390/plants9050592.
GERIČ STARE, Barbara, AYDINLI, Gökhan, DEVRAN, Zübeyir, MENNAN, Sevilhan, STRAJNAR, Polona, UREK, Gregor, ŠIRCA, Saša. Recognition of species belonging to Meloidogyne ethiopica group and development of a diagnostic method for its detection. European journal of plant pathology. 2019, vol. 154, iss. 3, pp. 621-633. ISSN 0929-1873. DiRROS – Digitalni repozitorij raziskovalnih organizacij Slovenije, DOI: 10.1007/s10658-019-01686-2.
GERIČ STARE, Barbara, STRAJNAR, Polona, ŠIRCA, Saša, SUSIČ, Nik, UREK, Gregor. Record of a new location for tropical root knot nematode Meloidogyne luci in Slovenia. Bulletin OEPP. April 2018, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 135-137. ISSN 0250-8052. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2338, DiRROS – Digitalni repozitorij raziskovalnih organizacij Slovenije, DOI: 10.1111/epp.12443.
GERIČ STARE, Barbara, STRAJNAR, Polona, SUSIČ, Nik, UREK, Gregor, ŠIRCA, Saša. Reported populations of Meloidogyne ethiopica in Europe identified as Meloidogyne luci. Plant disease. Sep. 2017, vol. 101, no. 9, pp. 1627-1632. ISSN 0191-2917. DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-02-17-0220-RE.
BAČIĆ, Jasmina, PAVLOVIČ, Martin, KUŠIĆ-TIŠMA, Jelena, ŠIRCA, Saša, THEUERSCHUH, Melita, GERIČ STARE, Barbara. First report of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne luci on tomato in Serbia. Plant disease. 2023, vol. 107, iss. 8, pp. 2554, ilustr. ISSN 1943-7692. DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-01-23-0164-PDN.