TO MEET THE DIETARY NEEDS OF AN ESTIMATED 9.5-10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050, IT IS CRITICAL TO SUSTAIN THE EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF NUTRITIONALLY DENSE STAPLE FOODS SUCH AS POTATOES. POTATO IS THE THIRD MOST IMPORTANT FOOD CROP WORLDWIDE, BUT A LEADING CROP FOR PESTICIDE USAGE DUE TO THE PREVALENCE OF INVASIVE PESTS SUCH AS POTATO CYST NEMATODES (PCN), GLOBODERA PALLIDA AND G. ROSTOCHIENSIS. CURRENTLY TO CONTROL PCN PRODUCERS RELY ON SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE, COSTLY, AND CAN INFLICT HARM ON NON-TARGETED BENEFICIAL NEMATODE SPECIES.TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WE PROPOSE A NOVEL APPROACH FOR CONTROL OF PCN BY CAPITALIZING ON SPECIFIC HOST-PEST RELATIONSHIP OF PCN THAT RELIES ON CHEMICAL SIGNALING FOR PLANT HOST LOCATION AND INFECTION. FOR EXAMPLE, OTHER PLANTS FROM SOLANUM FAMILY SUCH AS SOLANUM SISYMBRIIFOLIUM CAN ALSO PROMOTE HATCH OF AND BE INFECTED BY PCN; HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT ALLOW NEMATODE REPRODUCTION. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL TEST THE COMBINATION OF MUSTARD DERIVED 4-HYDROXYBENZYL ALCOHOL AS A NEMATODE EGGSHELL PERMEABILITY ENHANCER AND NEMATOCIDAL COMPOUNDS FROM SOLANUM SISYMBRIIFOLIUM TO DEVELOP A SMART NEMATICIDE SYSTEM THAT WILL SELECTIVELY TARGET PCN WHILE SUSTAINING BENEFICIAL SPECIES. QUANTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING OF NEMATICIDES WILL BE DONE USING CHROMATOGRAPHY AND MASS SPECTROMETRY TECHNIQUES. IN VITRO AND IN PLANTA NEMATODE BIOASSAYS WILL BE USED FOR THE SYSTEM EFFICIENCY EVALUATION.OUR RESEARCH PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE A1112 PESTS AND BENEFICIAL SPECIES IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS PROGRAM GOAL TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE BIOLOGICALLY-BASED STRATEGIES TO MANAGE PESTS AND FALLS UNDER FOLLOWING PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: 1) ABIOTIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE ABUNDANCE OR SPREAD OF AGRICULTURALLY-IMPORTANT PLANT PESTS AND 2) BEHAVIORAL ATTRIBUTES OF PESTS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS RELEVANT TO PEST MANAGEMENT.