Rethinking control strategies for plant-parasitic nematodes

To improve management for plant-parasitic nematodes, new solutions must reflect biological realities and be guided by coherent, science-based regulations. This study addresses five areas: (1) regulatory and market hurdles that slow adaptation of biological control products despite strong safety records and scalable production; (2) microbiome-mediated soil resilience, including nematode-microbiome interactions, suppressive consortia, validated delivery systems, and diagnostics to shift soils toward durable suppression; (3) effective containment for nematodes of regulatory concern, and precise resistance bioengineering through genome editing tools that mirror natural allelic variation, thus, warranting streamlined oversight; (4) omics-enabled platforms to discover and validate RNA interference targets for nematode control in perennial crops, coupled with transgrafting; and (5) advances in affordable RNA-based biopesticides and efforts to strengthen social license. Policymakers should adopt fit-for-purpose, fast-track pathways for low-risk biological and biotechnological products, and expand support for diagnostics, core research, and field validation across production systems. Furthermore, to ensure effective implementation, ongoing communication among regulators, scientists, industry, and growers is essential.