Starch Formation Induced by a Plant Parasitic Nematode

Abstract
This is the first report that a nematode causes plant tissues to produce starch. The formation of starch granules in the syncytial cells of several plant species is induced by Nacobbus batatiformis . The starch, which is associated with the feeding of the nematode, appears within a few days after the animal has become situated in the plant roots and diminishes in amount during nematode reproduction. The starch granules show the usual optical properties.