Nematicidal potential of Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae Burnett (syn. Cruciferae A. L. de Jussieu) include many important economic plants used as edibile or ornamental. They are commonly known as the "mustard" plant family due to the sharp, potent flavour of their main metabolites, the glucosinolates (GLSs) which contain sulfur. Glucosinolates coexist in vivo with glycosylated thioglucosidases, myrosinase(s), responsible of their hydrolysis with the production of bioactive cognate isothiocyanates (ITC). GLSs and ITCs function as defence bioactive metabolites against plant pathogens, insects and herbivores. The present review paper focus on GLSs role as bionematicides. The current knowledge on the efficacy of these phytochemicals against the most common phytoparasitic nematodes affecting crops of agriculture importance such as tomato, potato and grapevine is reported. Data from our ongoing research on the in vitro biocidal activity of glucosinolate extracts, and their main components, against the virus-vector nematode Xiphinema index Thorne & Allen and the carrot cyst nematode Heterodera carotae Jones are also described.