# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Nematode management and characterization studies Papers, Class of 2026

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## What topics and trends defined most-cited Nematode management and characterization studies research in the Class of 2026?

Nematode management research is shifting from chemical controls and symptom assessment toward biological control and soil food web resilience. Key 2024 trends highlight Meloidogyne incognita suppression, microbial consortia, and pine wilt disease management, while direct gall formation studies decline as broader agroecosystem and molecular signaling approaches expand.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Nematode management and characterization studies |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 3,432 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Root-knot nematode, biological control, soil food web, pine wilt disease, Meloidogyne incognita |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 16–123 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Nutrient-induced acidification modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships | Zhengkun Hu, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Nicolas Fanin, Xiaoyun Chen, Yan Zhou, Guozhen Du, Feng Hu, Lin Jiang, Shuijin Hu, Manqiang Liu | Manqiang Liu | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 123 | 10.1038/s41467-024-47323-3 |
| 2 | Phylogenomic Insights into the Evolution and Origin of Nematoda | Xue Qing, Yuanmeng Miles Zhang, Sidi Sun, Mohammed Ahmed, Wen-Sui Lo, Wim Bert, Oleksandr Holovachov, Hongmei Li | Hongmei Li | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Systematic Biology | 37 | 10.1093/sysbio/syae073 |
| 3 | Linking nematodes and ecosystem function: a trait-based framework | Chongzhe Zhang, Ian J Wright, Uffe N Nielsen, Stefan Geisen, Manqiang Liu | Manqiang Liu | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Trends in Ecology & Evolution | 33 | 10.1016/j.tree.2024.02.002 |
| 4 | Biomass-Based, Dual Enzyme-Responsive Nanopesticides: Eco-friendly and Efficient Control of Pine Wood Nematode Disease | Yingjian Ma, Meng Yu, Zhe Sun, Shouhe Pan, Yinmin Wang, Fengyu Li, Xinyu Guo, Rui Zhao, Yong Xu, Xuemin Wu | Rui Zhao, Yong Xu, Xuemin Wu | China Agricultural University, China | ACS Nano | 33 | 10.1021/acsnano.4c02031 |
| 5 | Rhizosphere Engineering of Biocontrol Agents Enriches Soil Microbial Diversity and Effectively Controls Root-Knot Nematodes | K Vinothini, S Nakkeeran, N Saranya, P Jothi, J Infant Richard, Kahkashan Perveen, Najat A Bukhari, Bernard R Glick, R Z Sayyed, Andrea Mastinu | S. Nakkeeran, R. Z. Sayyed, Andrea Mastinu | Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India | Microbial Ecology | 30 | 10.1007/s00248-024-02435-7 |
| 6 | Cover crop rotation suppresses root‐knot nematode infection by shaping soil microbiota | Hualiang Zhang, Dongsheng Guo, Yuting Lei, Jose L Lozano-Torres, Ye Deng, Jianming Xu, Lingfei Hu | Lingfei Hu | Zhejiang University, China | New Phytologist | 26 | 10.1111/nph.20220 |
| 7 | Linking nematode trophic diversity to plantation identity and soil nutrient cycling | Chengwei Tu, Ajuan Zhang, Ruyi Luo, Wei Qiang, Yan Zhang, Xueyong Pang, Yakov Kuzyakov | Xueyong Pang | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Geoderma | 22 | 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116945 |
| 8 | The nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora detects prey pheromones via G protein-coupled receptors | Chih-Yen Kuo, Rebecca J Tay, Hung-Che Lin, Sheng-Chian Juan, Guillermo Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun, Yu-Chu Chang, Jason Hoki, Frank C Schroeder, Yen-Ping Hsueh | Yen‐Ping Hsueh | Academia Sinica, Taiwan | Nature Microbiology | 22 | 10.1038/s41564-024-01679-w |
| 9 | The origin, deployment, and evolution of a plant-parasitic nematode effectorome | Beth Molloy, Dio S Shin, Jonathan Long, Clement Pellegrin, Beatrice Senatori, Paulo Vieira, Peter J Thorpe, Anika Damm, Mariam Ahmad, Kerry Vermeulen, Lida Derevnina, Siyuan Wei, Alexis Sperling, Estefany Reyes Estévez, Samuel Bruty, Victor Hugo Moura de Souza, Olaf Prosper Kranse, Tom Maier, Thomas Baum, Sebastian Eves-van den Akker | B. P. J. Molloy, Dio S. Shin, J. D. Long, Clément Pellegrin, Beatrice Senatori, Paulo Vieira, Peter Thorpe, Anika Damm, Mariam Ahmad, Kerry Vermeulen, Lida Derevnina, Siyuan Wei, Alexis L. Sperling, Estefany Reyes Estévez, Samuel Bruty, Victor Hugo Moura de Souza, Olaf Prosper Kranse, Tom Maier, Thomas J. Baum, Sebastian Eves‐van den Akker | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | PLoS Pathogens | 22 | 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012395 |
| 10 | Protective role of native root-associated bacterial consortium against root-knot nematode infection in susceptible plants | Shikai La, Jiafan Li, Si Ma, Xingqun Liu, Lihong Gao, Yongqiang Tian | Lihong Gao, Yongqiang Tian | China Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 21 | 10.1038/s41467-024-51073-7 |
| 11 | Impact of sequential and concurrent inoculations of Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum on the growth performance of diverse okra cultivars | Ijaz Yaseen, Tariq Mukhtar | Ijaz Yaseen | Sunchon National University, South Korea | Plant Protection | 21 | 10.33804/pp.008.02.5186 |
| 12 | Phytophagy impacts the quality and quantity of plant carbon resources acquired by mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi | C A Bell, E Magkourilou, J R Ault, P E Urwin, K J Field | Christopher Bell | University of Leeds, United Kingdom | Nature Communications | 20 | 10.1038/s41467-024-45026-3 |
| 13 | Redundancy in microbiota-mediated suppression of the soybean cyst nematode | Muzammil Hussain, Peixue Xuan, Yi Xin, Haikun Ma, Yahan Zhou, Shihui Wen, M Imran Hamid, Tianyu Wan, Jianyang Hu, Yuezhong Li, Seogchan Kang, Xingzhong Liu, Meichun Xiang | Xingzhong Liu, Meichun Xiang | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Microbiome | 19 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01840-x |
| 14 | Green Carbon Dots/CaCO<sub>3</sub>/Abamectin Colloidal Pesticide Formulation for Safer and More Effective Pest Management | Chuang Chen, Guopeng Teng, Weicheng Shen, Yijun Lu, Yuwei Jin, Xue Yuan, Kang Chen, Yue Yuan, Zhengyan Wu, Jia Zhang | Zhengyan Wu, Jia Zhang | University of Science and Technology of China, China | ACS Nano | 19 | 10.1021/acsnano.4c12707 |
| 15 | Utilizing bio-synthesis of nanomaterials as biological agents for controlling soil-borne diseases in pepper plants: root-knot nematodes and root rot fungus | Rehab Y Ghareeb, Elsayed B Belal, Nagwa M M El-Khateeb, Basma A Shreef | Rehab Y. Ghareeb | City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Egypt | BMC Plant Biology | 18 | 10.1186/s12870-024-04760-y |
| 16 | Utilizing endophytic plant growth-promoting bacteria and the nematophagous fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum as biocontrol agents against the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) on tomato plants | Abdelhadi Ali, Samir A. Mahgoub, Atef Fathy Ahmed, Walid F. A. Mosa, Mohamed T. El‐Saadony, Mazhar Mohamed, Maryam M. Alomran, Hawazen K. Al‐Gheffari, Khaled A. El‐Tarabily, Synan F. AbuQamar, Ramadan M. El–Ashry | Khaled A. El‐Tarabily, Synan F. AbuQamar | Zagazig University, Egypt | European Journal of Plant Pathology | 18 | 10.1007/s10658-024-02907-z |
| 17 | Differential responses of Meloidogyne spp. to Pasteuria isolates over crop cycles | Muhammad Shahid, S. R. Gowen, Muhammad Burhan, Muhammad Zeeshan Niaz, Muhammad Anwar-ul-Haq, Kamra Mehmood | Muhammad Shahid | Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Pakistan | Plant Protection | 18 | 10.33804/pp.008.02.5192 |
| 18 | Continuous cropping obstacles: Insights from the community composition and the imbalance carbon fluxes within soil nematode food web | Xiao Wang, Yang Minghao, Gao Lixiang, Yingbin Li, Wenju Liang, Xiaoke Zhang | Xiaoke Zhang | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Geoderma | 17 | 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117060 |
| 19 | Soil enzyme profile analysis for indicating decomposer micro‐food web | Wen Xing, Ning Hu, Zhongfang Li, Liangshan Feng, Weidong Zhang, Gerhard Du Preez, Huimin Zhang, Dongchu Li, Shunbao Lu, Scott X Chang, Qingwen Zhang, Yilai Lou | Qingwen Zhang, Yilai Lou | Hezhou University, China | iMeta | 16 | 10.1002/imt2.161 |
| 20 | Protorhabditis nematodes and pathogen-antagonistic bacteria interactively promote plant health | Xu Xu, Renqiang Jiang, Xinling Wang, Shanshan Liu, Menghui Dong, Hancheng Mao, Xingrui Li, Ziyu Ni, Nana Lv, Xuhui Deng, Wu Xiong, Chengyuan Tao, Rong Li, Qirong Shen, Stefan Geisen | Chengyuan Tao, Rong Li | Nanjing Agricultural University, China | Microbiome | 16 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01947-1 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

Research in nematode management and characterization is heavily centered on sustainable agricultural protection and ecological soil dynamics. The dominant topic in the 2024 cohort is the management of root-knot nematodes, led by Meloidogyne incognita (present in 27.6% and 17.2% of analyzed papers, respectively). Environmentally friendly intervention strategies form a primary pillar, with biological control (20.7%) and plant growth promotion (10.3%) emerging as core management paradigms alongside microbial consortia and egg hatching inhibition techniques. In parallel, attention has expanded toward soil food web structure (13.8%) and agroecosystem health (10.3%), emphasizing how nematode communities interface with soil organic carbon, nutrient cycling, and native microbial diversity. Beyond agricultural crops, forestry research focuses on Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and pine wilt disease (10.3% each), utilizing dual-action nanopesticides and bio-protective treatments. Methodologically, studies increasingly leverage transcriptomic analysis, cell wall-degrading enzymes, and MAPK signaling pathways to decipher host-parasite effector interactions. Together, these trends demonstrate a shift from conventional chemical nematicides toward holistic, microbial, and molecularly targeted nematode management.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing the 2023 and 2024 publication cohorts reveals a distinct transition from descriptive symptom characterization toward ecosystem-level intervention and bio-based pest suppression. The most pronounced expansion occurred in soil food web dynamics (+13.8 percentage points; entering 4 top papers in 2024) and agroecosystem analysis (+10.3 percentage points), signaling heightened interest in soil community resilience and trophic interactions. Biological control strategies also surged, driven by rising interest in microbial consortia (+6.9 percentage points), plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (+6.9 percentage points), and real-time PCR diagnostics (+6.9 percentage points). Research on specific life stages and host mechanisms gained momentum as second-stage juveniles (J2) targeting and cell wall-degrading enzymes both grew by +6.9 percentage points, alongside pine wilt disease research (+6.9 percentage points). Conversely, studies focusing strictly on symptom-based gall formation declined (-6.9 percentage points; falling from 4 to 2 papers), while generic root-knot nematode reporting eased slightly (-3.4 percentage points). Overall, the field is evolving from reactive damage assessment to proactive, microbiome-mediated soil health management.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Nematode management and characterization studies Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/nematode-management-and-characterization-studies/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```