At the time of this grant, the invasive guava root-knot nematode (GRKN) had been detected in soybean, cotton, tobacco, and sweet potato fields in eight eastern North Carolina counties. GRKN is more aggressive than other RKN species. It overcomes all known crop resistances to RKN, and few options to reduce the damage in crops were known. The threat to North Carolina sweet potato industries and the communities they serve, then estimated at 95,000 harvested acres worth $342 million, was of particular concern because of potential crop damage and interstate commerce restrictions imposed by state GRKN quarantines. Golden LEAF funds supported efforts to identify relatively rapid solutions to limit GRKN damage in North Carolina sweet potatoes by field evaluation of potential nematicides for GRKN control. Funds also supported an extension of the GRKN detection survey into North Carolina soybean and tobacco crops.
