New data on known species of Hirschmanniella and Pratylenchus (Rhabditida, Pratylenchidae) from Iran and South Africa

Pratylenchus Araucensis (Rhabditida: Pratylenchidae) a Widely Distributed Nematode in Musa Spp. from Colombia

Pratylenchus is one of the most limiting nematodes of Musaceae production in the world. Knowledge of the nematode species is one of the requirements for its management in the field. This study aimed to identify up to the species level Pratylenchus populations associated with plantain and banana crops in the states of Caldas, Quindío, and Valle del Cauca in Colombia. In these regions, Pratylenchus has been reported to affect these crops in the past, but with records of the nematode only up to the genus level. For this purpose, five populations of Pratylenchus extracted from samples composed of roots and rhizospheric soil, four from plantain and one from banana, were identified through morphological, morphometric, and molecular analysis (sequencing of the D2-D3 of rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I of mtDNA). All populations were identified as P. araucensis, a species reported previously in eastern Colombia, and one that the present study found in the center and southwest of the country, indicating that this species of nematode is widely distributed in the Musaceae-producing areas of Colombia. The present study reports the first COI mtDNA sequences for this species of nematode.

Molecular and morphological characterization of the amaryllis lesion nematode, Pratylenchus hippeastri (Inserra et al., 2007), from California

Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are among the most important nematode pests on grapevine along with root-knot, dagger, and ring nematodes. In 2019, two samples of both soil and roots were collected from a vineyard in Delano, Kern County, California and submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture, ARS, Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, for identification purposes. Females and juveniles of Pratylenchus sp. were recovered from the root and soil samples using the sugar centrifugal flotation and Baermann funnel extraction methods. Both morphological observations and molecular analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S large subunit ribosomal DNA, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (COI) sequences indicated that the specimens recovered from the soil and roots were Pratylenchus hippeastri. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of P. hippeastri from California including the first record of this species on grapevine and the second state record in North America. Damages caused by nematodes cannot be over-emphasized, although economic importance of P. hippeastri has never been established. Hence, there is an urgent need to investigate the economic impact of this nematode in vineyards in California State in order to develop sustainable management strategies.

Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are among the most important nematode pests on grapevine along with root-knot, dagger, and ring nematodes. In 2019, two samples of both soil and roots were collected from a vineyard in Delano, Kern County, California and submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture, ARS, Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, for identification purposes. Females and juveniles of Pratylenchus sp. were recovered from the root and soil samples using the sugar centrifugal flotation and Baermann funnel extraction methods. Both morphological observations and molecular analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S large subunit ribosomal DNA, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (COI) sequences indicated that the specimens recovered from the soil and roots were Pratylenchus hippeastri. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of P. hippeastri from California including the first record of this species on grapevine and the second state record in North America. Damages caused by nematodes cannot be over-emphasized, although economic importance of P. hippeastri has never been established. Hence, there is an urgent need to investigate the economic impact of this nematode in vineyards in California State in order to develop sustainable management strategies.