review · Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection
Root-knot nematodes pose significant threats to global potato farming, with distinct species causing varied damage across different climates. A synthesis of 42 studies covering research from 1967 to 2025 reveals that Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogyne javanica prevail in warmer areas, primarily suppressing plant growth and overall yield. In temperate climates, species such as Meloidogyne chitwoodi, Meloidogyne fallax, and Meloidogyne hapla diminish tuber marketability through defects like deformation and internal necrosis. Damage correlates closely with initial soil nematode densities, where even low levels cause commercial yield losses. Crucially, root galling does not reliably indicate tuber damage, showing that resistance varies across plant tissues. Furthermore, some potato cultivars maintain healthy foliage while still allowing nematode populations to multiply in the soil. These patterns indicate that management decisions must look beyond above-ground crop appearance to evaluate actual tuber quality.
Potatoes are a vital global food staple, but microscopic pests can severely damage crops without clear warning. Because potato plants can appear healthy above ground while tubers become deformed or infested beneath the soil, conventional visual checks often miss infestations. Understanding how different nematode species operate helps protect crop yields and ensures produce meets commercial market standards.
This synthesis provides an evidence base to guide potato breeding programmes and integrated pest management frameworks. Plant breeders and seed producers can use these insights to select for tissue-specific and regionally targeted resistance rather than relying on foliar traits. As a review of historical experimental research, the insights represent early-stage guidance that requires direct validation in breeding pipelines and regional agronomic practices before commercial deployment.
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Abstract Root-knot nematodes ( Meloidogyne spp.) represent a major constraint to global potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) production, yet species-specific impacts and host response patterns remain fragmented across studies. This systematic review synthesised primary experimental evidence (1967–2025) to evaluate (i) Meloidogyne species infecting potato, (ii) cultivar-specific susceptibility and resistance expression, (iii) inoculum density-damage relationships, and (iv) mechanistic determinants of host response. Following PRISMA guidelines, 42 peer-reviewed studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Results demonstrate clear geographic and species-specific risk profiles. Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica dominate in warmer production systems and are primarily associated with growth suppression and yield reduction. In contrast, temperate systems are increasingly impacted by M. chitwoodi, M. fallax, M. hapla , and emerging species such as M. luci and M. minor , which frequently compromise tuber quality through internal necrosis and deformation. Across studies, damage was strongly inoculum density-dependent, with relatively low initial population densities capable of reducing marketable yield. Importantly, root gall severity did not consistently predict tuber infestation, indicating tissue-specific resistance expression. Evidence further shows that cultivars may sustain canopy growth while permitting nematode reproduction, thereby facilitating population build-up despite delayed yield loss. The findings support a recalibration of economic threshold levels toward tuber marketability metrics rather than vegetative indicators alone. Resistance in potato is multidimensional, species-dependent, and often tissue-specific, highlighting the need for regionally stratified breeding strategies and density-aware integrated management frameworks.
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DOI: 10.1007/s10343-026-01399-7
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