Morphological, morphometrical and molecular identification of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) infecting banana in Assiut governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes are extremely dangerous pests in a variety of economically important crops. Root-knot nematodes (RKN) Meloidogyne spp. are between the major important pests causing serious crops havoc worldwide because of their wide geographical distribution and variety of hosts. Therefore, both of identification that is true and trustworthy of these pests is required for evaluating various suitable management strategies. This study, aimed to characterize morphological, morphometric and molecularly isolate of Meloidogyne related to banana plants. Second-stage juveniles (body length, tail length, stylet length, hyaline terminus length, and DEGO) were used in morphometric and morphological studies and female in perineal patterns. The results revealed that the identified nematode species, Meloidogyne javanica, is the most common root knot nematode species in all three localities. To prove the identification, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based experiment using a species-specific sequence described amplified regions (SCAR) primer series was used. The Fjav/Rjav primer effectively enhanced SCAR markers of 670 bp previously identified in M. javanica. This study confirms the use of an effective and reliable diagnosis of RKN using the three approaches.