PURE POPULATION BANK OF Meloidogyne spp. OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL SCIENCE (CENSA)

Abstract

The root knot nematodes Meloidogyne spp. are among the most important pests of most crops worldwide and in Cuba. The taxonomic status of the populations in agricultural soils is an essential aspect for the management of this pest. At present, the Laboratory of Nematology has established a bank of twenty pure populations of Meloidogyne from different regions of Cuba. They were isolated from horticultural soils under shelter conditions. Some of these populations have been identified as M. incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood, M. arenaria Neal, and Meloidogyne enterolobii Yang and Eisenback (junior synonym M. mayaguensis Rammah and Hirshmann) by
using traditional and molecular methods. They have been used for molecular studies, evaluation of variety resistance and for studying the effectiveness of biological control agents. They have also been useful in demonstrative practical teaching of students of the university and local farmers. The remaining pure populations with aberrant characteristics in their morphological patterns are being studied to confirm their taxonomic status by different molecular protocols.