MELOIDOGYNE FUJIANENSIS

IDENTITY: Scientific name: Meloidogyne fujianensis
Pan, 1985
 Common name: A citrus root-knot nematode

NOTES ON TAXONOMY AND BIOLOGY: Female M. fujianensis have an oval cuticular perineal pattern marked by coarse and fine striae. Dorsal arch is moderately high. Lateral lines are indistinct. A small swelling with a central pit is present outside the edge of vulva. (Pan, 1985; Pan, et al.,1988). This root-knot nematode has sedentary endoparasitic habits. Second-stage juveniles (J2) penetrate host roots where they establish a specialized feeding site (giant cells) in the stele. As J2 develop, they causing root swellings and become swollen females. Females rupture root cortex and sometimes protrude from the root surface with the egg masses. J2 emerge from the egg masses and migrate in the soil.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: This root-knot nematode occurs only in China (Pan, et al, 1999;Vovlas and Inserra, 1996).

HOSTS: Meloidogyne fujianensis infects and reproduces on citrus such as mandarin (Citrus reticulata). The only known non-citrus host is cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) (Pan et al, 1999).

CROP LOSSES: Serious damage to citrus is mentioned. However, quantification of the damage induced by this root-knot nematode to citrus in China is not available.

MEANS OF MOVEMENT AND DISPERSAL: Through root material, soil debris and by poorly sanitized bare root propagative plant material.

RATING: (M) A moderate priority rating was given for this nematode, based on consideration given to the economic importance of citrus, a perennial crop, and the limited information available on the host range and pathways of entry for this nematode.

REFERENCES:
    Pan, C. 1985. Studies on plant parasitic nematodes on economically important crops. III. Description of Meloidogyne fujianensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae) infesting citrus in Nanjing county. Acta Zoologica Sinica 3:263-268.
    Pan, C., J. Lin, and S. Wang. 1988. Studies on plant-parasitic nematodes on economically important crops in Fujian. IV. Observations of Melodogyne fujianensis on scanning electron microscope. Acta Zoologica Sinica 34:305-308.
    Pan, C., X. Hu, and J. Lin. 1999. Temporal fluctuations in Meloidogyne fujianensis parasitizing Citrus reticulata in Nanjing, China. Nematologia Mediterranea 27:327-330.
    Vovlas N. and  R. N. Inserra. 1996. Distribution and parasitism of root-knot nematodes on citrus. Nematology Circular No. 217, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville, FL, USA.