Ellsworth Dougherty (1921–1965) was a man of impressive intellectual dimensions and interests; in a relatively short career he contributed enormously as researcher and scholar to the biological knowledge base for selection of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism in neurobiology, genetics, and molecular biology. He helped guide the choice of strains that were eventually used, and, in particular, he developed the methodology and understanding for the nutrition and axenic culture of nematodes and other organisms. Dougherty insisted upon a concise terminology for culture techniques and coined descriptive neologisms that were justified by their linguistic roots. Among other contributions, he refined the classification system for the Protista.

We briefly review the history and development of recognizing nematode assemblages as indicators of environmental conditions. We highlight the effects of spatio-temporal successional changes in nematode assemblages on the auto-regeneration of ecosystem functions after disturbance. We expand on the need for herbivory components in the analysis of soil nematode assemblages in recognition of the important impact of plant parasitism on the resources and productivity of the soil system. Finally, we point out some important areas of research that would enhance the process and value of nematode faunal analysis. We include an evaluation of the current potential for molecular assessment of nematode abundance and function and for the application of artificial intelligence in automated nematode identification.

Root-knot (Meloidogyne spp.) and false root-knot (Nacobbus aberrans) nematodes limit greenhouse tomato productivity. The effectiveness of integrating pre-plant biofumigation with post-plant chemical, biological, and botanical inputs was assessed under commercial conditions. A split-plot trial (2019) contrasted biofumigated and non-biofumigated whole plots (50 t ha⁻¹ of sorghum residues plus poultry and sheep manures) and 13 subplot treatments (fluopyram, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Trichoderma viride, Tagetes erecta, and plant oil formulations). Nematodes were sampled 0, 60, and 120 days after transplanting, and the area under the nematode population curve (AUNPC), area under the root-damage curve (AURDC), and yield were analyzed. Biofumigation reduced pre-transplant N. aberrans populations by 86% and lowered the AUNPC by 39% relative to the non-biofumigated treatment; the whole-plot yields did not differ. Meloidogyne incognita remained at a very low density throughout. Among the subplot treatments, fluopyram decreased the AURDC by ≈22% and more than doubled the yield (63 vs. 26 t ha⁻¹; +142%), while the AUNPC of N. aberrans was unchanged. Biological and botanical packages reduced damage indices in some cases but did not increase the yield. No whole-plot × subplot interaction was detected for the yield. The results indicate that sorghum-based biofumigation, complemented by a low-risk nematicide at transplanting, can be embedded in integrated nematode-management programs for greenhouse tomato.