This pest is now becoming one of the most important problems in both spring and winter field bean production. The nematodes can be introduced to fields by infested seed and once established in the soil, they can remain viable for many years and place future crops of beans at risk from damage.

Crop loss from this pest can be appreciable according to PGRO. Several crops in 2000 had their yields reduced to less than 0.8 tonnes/ha. Infested beans are unsuitable for seed, but are still usable in animal feed compounds.

Because the pest can infest clean land, only nematode free seed should be used. The Virology and Zoology Section at SASA provides OSTS customers with a testing service for the presence of stem nematodes and purchasers of seed, and those saving their own seed, should ensure that the seed has been tested.

The pest has a wide range of hosts embracing many weed and crop species, including bulbs, onions, susceptible varieties of oats, lupins, winter and spring field beans and broad beans. An adequate crop rotation will prevent the pest building up in the soil but where the crop has been diagnosed as being infested, the produce should not be used for seed and a break of at least 10 years should elapse before growing susceptible species.