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Title: GUIDELINES FOR THE ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF REGULATED NEMATODES FOR POTATO

Author
item Carta, Lynn
item Handoo, Zafar
item POWERS, T - UNIV NEBRASKA, LINCOLN
item MILLER, S - CFIA, PQPU, CANADA
item PEREZ-ZUBIRI, R - SAGARPA, COYOACAN, MEX
item RAMIREZ-SUAREZ, A - SAGARPA, COYOACAN, MEX

Submitted to: Revista Mexicana de Fitopatologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2006
Publication Date: 5/26/2005
Citation: Carta, L.K., Handoo, Z.A., Powers, T.O., Miller, S.A., Perez-Zubiri, R., Ramirez-Suarez, A. 2005. Guidelines for the isolation and identification of regulated nematodes for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in North America. Revista Mexicana de Fitopatologia. 23(2):211-222.

Interpretive Summary: Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic worms that annually cause crop losses of ten billion dollars in the United States. One problem with identifying nematodes is that different diagnostic laboratories use different methods. Therefore, the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) asked scientists from Canada (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), Mexico (Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentacion) and the United States (ARS and the University of Nebraska) to develop standardized protocols for the identification of three groups of nematodes of importance to the potato trade among the three NAPPO countries. These groups include the potato cyst nematodes, the root-knot nematodes, and the stem-and-bulb/potato rot nematode species complex. This report contains details about the most efficient methods for isolating nematodes from soil or plant material, as well as the most reliable anatomical features and molecular tests for accurately identifying these potato nematodes. The guidelines are significant because their adoption will minimize argument about the accuracy of nematode identifications when nematodes of quarantine importance are isolated. Consequently, the guidelines will be used by government and private diagnosticians to determine accurately which nematode species are present in commerce.

Technical Abstract: Detailed morphological, molecular and extraction criteria are presented for verification of the identities of nematode pests of trade concern in North American potatoes judged to be reliable by representatives of Canada, Mexico and the United States. The regulated pests include Globodera rostochiensis, G. pallida, Meloidogyne chitwoodi, Ditylenchus destructor, and D. dipsaci. Information on specimen archive and discussion of alternative molecular diagnostic primers are included. This information is referenced in the North American Plant Protection Organization Regional Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 3.