Vetiver Grass Technology, Nematodes, and Crop Health: A New Biological Paradigm for Tropical Agriculture
For decades, root‑knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) have quietly undermined tropical agriculture, reducing yields in bananas, chilli peppers, tomatoes, cassava, sweet potato, and dozens of other crops. Their damage is often misdiagnosed as drought stress or nutrient deficiency, leaving farmers with few effective options beyond costly and increasingly restricted chemical nematicides. Yet emerging evidence reveals that a widely planted tropical grass — vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) — possesses a unique biological capacity to suppress nematode populations through a combination of chemical, ecological, and microbial mechanisms.… Read the rest “Vetiver Grass Technology, Nematodes, and Crop Health: A New Biological Paradigm for Tropical Agriculture”
