MELOIDOGYNE MAYAGUENSIS

IDENTITY: Scientific name: Meloidogyne mayaguensis
Rammah & Hirschmann, 1988
 Common name: A root-knot nematode

NOTES ON TAXONOMY AND BIOLOGY: Female M. mayaguensis have a cuticular perineal pattern rounded to a dorso-ventrally oval similar to that of M. arenaria with a very distinct circular tail tip area, which is free of striae. 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 cause root swellings and become swollen females. Females rupture root cortex and some time protrude from the root surface with egg masses. J2 emerge from the egg masses and migrate in the soil (Ramah and Hirshmann, 1988).

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: This root-knot nematode is a tropical or subtropical species reported in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Senegal and South Africa (CAB International, 2001).

HOSTS: The host range includes: bell pepper (Capsicum annuum), coffee (Coffea arabica), egg plant (Solanum melongena), guava (Psidium guajava), Spanish needle (Bidens pilosa), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) (CAB Interantional, 2001). In Cuba, reproduction has been observed on beet (Beta vulgaris), broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis), celery (Apium graveolens), parsley (Petroselynum crispum), pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.). Low reproduction occurred on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), horsebean (Cannavalia ensiformis), and potato (Solanum tuberosum) (Rodriguez, in preparation).

CROP LOSSES: Damage to coffee has been observed in Cuba where the nematode is able to reproduce on resistant tomato varieties possessing the Mi 1.2 gene. (Rodríguez, 2000; Rodríguez et al., in preparation).

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

RATING: (M) Taking into consideration that this nematode has a wide host range and that this nematode is reported to reproduce on resistant varieties of tomato, soybean and sweet potato, the priority for a completed PRA is rated moderate.

REFERENCES:
    CAB International, 2001. Meloidogyne mayaguensis in: Crop protection compendium, global module, 3rd edition. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.
    Rammah, A. and H. Hirschmann. 1988. Meloidogyne mayaguensis n. sp. (Meloidogynidae), a root-knot nematode from Puerto Rico. Journal of Nematology20:58-69.
    Rodriguez, M. G. 2000. Identificación y caracterización de Meloidogyne mayaguensis (Nemata: Meloidogynidae) en le cafeto en Cuba. Ph.D. Thesis, Havana University, Havana, Buba
    Rodriguez, M. G., L. SANCHEZ, and J. ROWE. 2002. Host status of several plant families to Meloidogyne mayaguensis in Cuba. (In preparation).