The life cycle of Meloidogyne enterolobii and other thermophilic South African Meloidogyne species: a comparative study

Raymond Collett Noordwes-Universiteit, M S Daneel Landbounavorsingsraad, H Fourie Noordwes-Universiteit

http://www.satnt.ac.za/index.php/satnt/article/view/761

The life cycle of Meloidogyne enterolobii and other thermophilic South African Meloidogyne species: a comparative study: Little is known about the life cycle of the rootknot nematode species Meloidogyne enterolobii that is present in South African fruit, grain, and vegetable productions, when compared to those of other economically thermophilic species. This information can contribute towards employing effective management strategies to combat this emerging threat.

English summary provided by FINDMe investigator Johan Desaeger - University of Florida

The life cycle of a local south African population of M. enterolobii was compared with that of M. incognita and M. javanica in the greenhouse over a 30-day period. Photoperiod was 14L:10D and greenhouse temperature was between 23 (min) to 29 °C (max). Tomato seedlings (2-leaf stage) were raised in fumigated soil (Telone II) and inoculated with 580 second-stage juveniles (J2) of each of the three root-knot species. Three days after inoculation (DAI) five roots were sampled for each root-knot species, roots were stained and analyzed for nematode penetration. The remaining seedlings were transferred to 500 ml pots with the same soil as where seedlings were grown, and additional root staining was done after 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 DAI (total of 6 sampling times). Each sampling time had 5 replicates. Roots were first stained with acid fuchsin and then de-stained with lacto-glycerol. At each sampling time, 15 individuals were removed from roots to determine the life stage. M. enterolobii and M. javanica had the highest number of J2 three days after inoculation, while for M. incognita this was ten days after inoculation. Twenty days after inoculation, J4 development was optimal for M. enterolobii, while this was after 25 days for M. javanica and M. incognita. Adult females were found after 25 days for M. enterolobii and M. javanica, while this was after 30 days for M. incognita. M. enterolobii also produced gelatinous egg masses after 30 days, although the experiment was too short to observe eggs in the egg masses. This will be verified in follow-up experiments. The results show that M. enterolobii showed faster development than M. incognita and M. javanica, which could explain why this nematode is more damaging.

Translated from:

Die lewensiklus van Meloidogyne enterolobii en ander termofiliese Suid-Afrikaanse Meloidogyne spesies: ’n Vergelykende studie, Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie 38(1) (2019). https://doi.org/10.36303/