Detection of root-knot nematodes infecting weedy rice in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines

Abstract

Abstract Weedy rice collected from a rice field was found to be infected with root-knot nematodes. Perineal patterns of root-knot nematode females from galled weedy rice roots revealed Meloidogyne graminicola morphology with vulva-anus complex showing egg-like appearance, moderately high dorsal arch, smooth striae on the edge with distinct striations near the smooth vulval lips and absence of lateral ridges. DNA amplification based on M. graminicola-specific marker yielded positive detection. ITS-rDNA-based characterization revealed 99.81% similarity of the local isolate to M. graminicola sequences from NCBI GenBank®. ITS-based maximum-likelihood phylogram placed the isolate in M. graminicola clade with a high bootstrap support.