The Incidence of Root-Knot Nematodes Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, and M. javanica on Vegetables and Weeds in Montenegro.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are common pathogens that parasitize vegetables and other crops and cause significant yield reductions worldwide. In the early spring of 2006, severe plant stunting, chlorosis, and extensive root galling were observed on cucumber plants grown in a greenhouse on Zeta plain, Zetska ravnica, Montenegro. In the summer and autumn of 2006, infected roots of different crops were collected from greenhouses and vegetable production fields of Zeta plain, which represents the largest area of Montenegro's vegetable production. Several vegetable crops were found to be infected with root-knot nematodes, including tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Symptoms on these crops included root-galling, leaf chlorosis, and stunting. Heavily infected tomato plants growing in two greenhouses also displayed early flower and fruit drop. Nematode species were determined based on characterization of (i) female perineal patterns, (ii) male and second-stage juvenile morphology (2,3), and (iii) esterase and malate dehydrogenase phenotypes (PhastSystem; Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ) from young egg-laying females (1). The most prevalent species was M. incognita, which was isolated from the roots of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce from nine locations. Meloidogyne arenaria was detected at three locations from the roots of tomatoes grown in a greenhouse and the weeds Convolvulus arvensis L. and Solanum nigrum L., which were growing in open fields in separate locations. M. javanica was found on tomato and squash in the same field where M. arenaria was also found on S. nigrum. M. javanica was isolated from tomato and squash. In this study, we found high incidence of Meloidogyne spp. in intensive vegetable production areas of Montenegro. The implementation of an effective integrated pest management program is essential for future use of infested areas. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. arenaria, M. incognita, and M. javanica from Montenegro. References: (1) P. R. Esbenshade and A. C. Triantaphyllou. J. Nematol. 17:6, 1985. (2) S. B. Jepson. Identification of Root-Knot Nematodes. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1987. (3) G. Karssen. The Plant-Parasitic Nematode Genus Meloidogyne Göldi, 1892 (Tylenchida) in Europe. Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, the Netherlands, 2002.