ARS | Publication request: Progress and challenges in the molecular identification of plant-parasitic nematodes at the USDA ARS Nematology Laboratory

Submitted to: International Congress of Nematology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 28, 2008
Publication Date: July 13, 2008
Citation: Skantar, A.M., Carta, L.K., Handoo, Z.A., Nakhla, M.K., Levy, L., Chitwood, D.J. 2008. Progress and challenges in the molecular identification of plant-parasitic nematodes at the USDA ARS Nematology Laboratory [Abstract]. Proceedings of the 5th International Congress of Nematology. p. 97.

Technical Abstract: One mission of the USDA Agricultural Research Service Nematology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD is to provide nematode identifications that are urgently required by ARS scientists, federal and state researchers, and regulatory agencies for research, regulatory actions, and control purposes. In addition to traditional morphology-based taxonomic approaches, molecular methods are often required to confirm diagnoses or to provide conclusive identification in those instances when species morphology is ambiguous or when microscopic examination is impractical to perform. Here we will highlight current approaches, challenges, and new developments in the molecular identification of plant-parasitic nematodes within the context of some recent diagnostic scenarios involving Globodera, Meloidogyne, and Pratylenchus spp.