NEW REPORTS OF ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES FROM ORNAMENTAL PLANTS

A number of ornamental or succulent plants from urban garden pots or planters were found as new hosts of root-knot nematodes. Ficus microcarpa grown in pots was found parasitized by a population of Meloidogyne arenaria. A specimen of the cactus Stetsonya coryne showed parasitism by a M. incognita population, with visible galling induced on roots. The nematode also parasitized associated plants of Graptopetalum paraguayense, present in the same planter. Finally, galls produced by Meloidogyne spp. were found on roots of Sedum dendroideum and S. spectabile in pots. Nematodes were identified by PCR amplification of the 18S ribosomal gene regions, using juveniles and females collected from galls, and/or by the morphology of males, when present. Apart of G. paraguayense, the species reported represent new host records for root-knot nematode parasitism. Implications for quarantine issues and nematode pest spreading are briefly discussed.