A Hervey Bay garden has been found to be the home of a very destructive and invasive bug that attacks the roots of crops and can result in severe crop loss.
Sweet potato, chili, cotton, ginger, guava, papaya, soybean, watermelon, tobacco, and a number of other plants have all been documented to be impacted by the pest.
In Australia's Northern Territory, the guava root-knot nematode was discovered for the first time in September. Since then, it has been discovered in Hervey Bay and North Queensland.
Nematodes, according to Gavin Ash of the University of Southern Queensland, are "microscopic worms" that attack the roots of plants and vegetables.
"They reduce the roots of the plant, so the plant looks unwell, maybe it'll look like it's got nutrient deficiencies," Professor Ash said. "However, over time they will build up in the soil and can cause significant crop losses. It's affecting things like sweet potato. It will make the fruit look awful and no-one will want to eat it."
Other nematode species are widespread in crops, he claimed, but this specific kind was exceptionally harmful and had spread throughout the state.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com
