ARS | Publication request: Current status of phytoparasitic nematodes and their host plants in Egypt

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 8, 2010
Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Citation: Ibrahim I.K.A., Mokbel A.A., Handoo, Z.A. 2010. Current status of phytoparasitic nematodes and their host plants in Egypt. Nematropica. 40(2):239-262.

Interpretive Summary: Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic worms that attack plant roots and cause an estimated ten billion dollars of crop loss each year in the United States and 100 billion dollars globally. One problem with determining the extent of nematode damage to crop plants is that the nematodes present in many areas are not known, such as in Egypt. Therefore, crop specialists routinely conduct field surveys looking for the presence of nematodes. In this survey report, scientists from ARS and Alexandria University in Egypt describe the discovery of 139 species of nematodes associated with crops, grasses and weeds in Egypt. The results are significant because they provide the first reports of several of these species on new host plants in Egypt. This report will serve as a useful guide to researchers in planning future research, identifying economically important nematode species, or determining which nematodes may be present in specific areas in Egypt.

Technical Abstract: In Egypt many phytoparasitic nematodes constitute a major constraint to agricultural production, especially in sandy soil and reclaimed desert lands. Nematological surveys were conducted to determine the genera and species of phytoparasitic nematodes on associated host plants in Egypt. The results indicate the occurrence of 50 genera and 139 species of phytoparasitic nematodes on crops, grasses and weeds. Several of these species are reported for the first time on new host plants in Egypt. About 20 species are of potential economic importance to crop plant production. Important phytoparasitic nematodes include species of the citrus (Tylenchulus), cyst (Heterodera), dagger (Xiphinema), lance (Hoplolaimus), lesion (Pratylenchus), rice-root (Hirschmanniella), ring (Criconema, Criconemoides, Mesocriconema), root-knot (Meloidogyne), spiral (Helicotylenchus) and stunt (Tylenchorhynchus) nematodes. Among these, Helicotylenchus and Meloidogyne were the most frequently encountered nematode genera, with 53 and 62.5% frequency of occurrence respectively.