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Scientists discover how cyst nematodes attack sugar beet crops

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Researchers at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have made a significant discovery toward understanding how cyst nematodes co-opt a sugar beet's vascular system for their own benefit.

Researchers found that the nematode peptide turns genes on when the plant's peptide normally wouldn't, triggering the process in which normal root cells are converted into a highly developed feeding site.

The worms don't kill the plant, however, because it's their only food source.