" If all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable..."
-N.A. Cobb, 1914
Nematodes are the most numerous multicultural animals on earth. A handful of soil will contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or animals. The word Nematoda comes from the Greek words nematos, meaning thread, and eidos, meaning form. Over the years, nematodes have been classified in four different phyla, not always under the same name. There are two contending names for the phylum of nematodes. In 1919, Cobb named the study of nematodes nematology and therefore wished to rename nematodes nemata.
About Prof. Mohd. Shamim Jairajpuri
Prof.
Mohd. Shamim
Jairajpuri was born in 1942 in the village Jairajpur, District Azamgarh, U.P. He
obtained his B.Sc. (1959), M.Sc. (1961) and Ph. D(1964) from Aligarh Muslim
University.Prof. Jairajpuri was first appointed a Lecturer (1964) then a
Reader (1972), Professor (1983), Chariman (1988-89 & 1997-98) of the Zoology
Department and Dean (1993-95 & 1997-98) of the Faculty of Life Sciences,
AMU. The degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) was awarded to him
in Zoology by Aligarh Muslim University in 1970 on his outstanding work on
Neuratology in particular on Taxonomy, at a young age of 28 years only.
Prof.
Mohd. Shamim
Jairajpuri, has done pioneering research on plant and soil nematodes for which the Zoological Survey of India awarded him with gold medal in 1997 and 1998. He is
considered a renowned world authority in this subject. He has published over 20
Books and Monograms, over 350 research papers and contributed numerous book
chapters and general articles in reputed Journals of the world. He has the
distinction of publishing over 80 research papers in Nematologica (The
Netherlands) and over 40 papers in Revue de Nematologie (France), the two top
most international journals in the subject of Nematology. In 1991, Prof. Mohd. Shamim
Jairajpuri was appointed Coordinator of the
Agriculture Center at AMU and became the Founder Director of the Institute of
Agriculture in 1993 and worked in that capacity until July 1996 and through
ceasless efforts he developed it into an organisation of national status. He was
the Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences and also simultaneously Chairman of the
Department of Zoology, Museology and Wildlife Sciences. Prof. Jairajpuri is
member of several high-powered committees of the Government of India. Since 9th
January 1998 he is working as the Founder Vice Chancellor of the Maulana Azad
National Urd University and simultaneously as the Honorary Professor in School
of Life Sciences of the University of Hyderabad. Q. Please
tell us something about the current trends in the study of Nematodes Q.
What are the various characteristics of Nematodes that facilitate their study? They possess transparent bodies
that facilitates direct observation of their structures without a real need to
stain them. Short life cycles, cell constancy and easy to follow embryonic
development makes them one of the finest models for various kinds of biological
studies. Some nematode species are regarded as harmful because of threat that
they pose to human health and also that of animals and crops. But there are
others, which are useful in suppressing pest populations and also in serving as
useful bio-indicators. A few entomophagous species are much in demand these days
because of their role in controlling insect populations world over. Q. Why is it that Nematodes still remain shrouded in mystery up to a certain
extent? In past, lack of knowledge about
nematodes as also their ways of life were possibly main stumbling blocks that
had prevented their proper exploitation for science. Though interest about
nematodes may have gone up, still our ignorance largely remains. Keeping this in mind a humble
attempt has been made here to touch upon a few aspects of nematode diversity in
particular in their cuticular or surface structures. It is hoped that this might
arouse enough curiosity about these tiny but mighty and truly incredible
creatures which abound all around us, unseen and unnoticed and largely unheard.
Perhaps this is greatest reason for success of the group. Q. Please
c Basic pattern of body organization
may be very similar in all nematodes, but these tiny primitive creatures are
structurally very diverse and have in many respects, amazing ways of life.
Foremost among these is their numerical superiority, which surpasses all
imaginations. A single acre of soil from an arable land is said to contain as
many as 3,000,000,000 nematodes, while those from sandy beach nearly half as
much. A single grain of wheat parasitized by well known wheat-gall nematode,
Anguina tritici may contain up to 100,000 of its juveniles. Those who may be
familiar with techniques for their extraction from soils would indeed know that
in a single sample it is not unusual to find 10-15 genera of nematodes with as
many or more species of different kinds and characteristics. Rarely these
numbers could be astounding. For example, in one soil sample, weighing not more
than 1 kg from a locality in Malnad tracts of Karnataka, we had ourselves
recorded over 60 genera of nematodes. This alone speaks volumes about tremendous
diversity of group as also their wide distribution. Leaving aside perhaps
protozoans, no other animal group, insects included, is so numerous and
widespread. The claim of some nematologists that nearly 90% of all metazoans in
the world are nematodes, something about which entomologists would rather be
skeptical, is indeed closer to truth than exaggeration. Apart from the numerical
superiority of nematodes, species numbers are also unbelievably very high, close
on the heels to that of insects. Common man usually has a very good knowledge of insects as
pests of crops and stored grains and also as parasites, carriers, vectors and
intermediate hosts of many well-known diseases. Insects such as houseflies,
bedbugs, locusts, butterflies, honeybees, silkworms, lac insects etc. are well
known to mankind, largely due to their economic importance. But the same cannot
be said about nematodes in spite of their almost equal importance. Insects cause damage to our crops
and also parasitize man and higher groups of animals. Nematodes are capable of
doing all this and more. Structural, functional and habitat diversity of two
groups is also quite comparable. Maybe nematodes have a slight edge over insects
in their adaptability and survival under adverse conditions. It is not
surprising that many plant protection scientists regard nematology as younger
sister of entomology. Principles are same, methodologies and approaches are
similar, only organisms and set of scientists are different.Q. How can Nematodes be compared with Insects?
Present address : Vice Chancellor
Maulana Azad National Urdu University
8-1-346/10, Sabza, Toli Chowki
Hyderabad - 500008
Phone/ Fax: 040 - 3562945
E-mail: jairajpurims@mailcity.com
REFERENCE LINKS:
A spindle-shaped colourless worm, also called roundworm, belonging to the phylum Nematoda (about 80 000 species). Most nematodes are less than 3 mm long and have a mouth at one end, sometimes containing teeth or stylets, and usually a short muscular pharynx leading to the intestine
Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of soil will contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or animals. Free-living species are abundant, including nematodes that feed on bacteria, fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast majority of species encountered are poorly understood biologically. There are nearly 20,000 described species classified in the phylum Nemata .
The word Nematoda comes from the Greek words nematos, meaning thread, and eidos, meaning form. Over the years, nematodes have been classified in four different phyla, not always under the same name. There are two contending names for the phylum of nematodes.
In 1919, Cobb named the study of nematodes nematology and therefore wished to rename nematodes nemata. Cobb also placed nematodes in their own phylum, the phylum Nemata. However, when nematodes were placed in the phylum Aschelminthes, they were classified as class Nematoda (along with class Rotifera, class Gastrotricha, class Kinorhyncha, class Priapulida and class Nematomorpha).
Projects are currently underway to generate 315,000 ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) from ~20 parasitic nematode species, including 235,000 ESTs at the GSC, St. Louis and 80,000 at the Sanger Centre & Edinburgh University. We have established Nematode Net to allow easy access to this new gene sequence information including expressed sequence tags (ESTs), NemaGene EST clusters, and sequence trace files. Please provide us feedback on how this site can serve as a better
This program is part of a continuing effort by Clemson University to provide services designed to update and increase the efficiency of professionals from public and private institutions and independant consultants in the fields of plant pathology and nematology. Accurate nematode identification is important in the management of turfgrass, field and fruit crops and vegetables
Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic, nonsegmented round worms that feed on plants and may cause yield or stand loss. Over 10 different types of plant-parasitic nematodes have been found.
