Diversity of plant-parasitic nematodes in potato fields at different altitudes in Probolinggo District, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Prada AP, Pratiwi GNC, Wagiyana. 2022. Diversity of plant-parasitic nematodes in potato fields at different altitudes in Probolinggo District, East Java, Indonesia. Cell Biol Dev 6: 61-67. Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are microorganisms sensitive to environmental conditions. Therefore, plant parasitic nematode diversity in a field may affect the decision of effective management tactics. This study aimed to assess the diversity of plant parasitic nematodes in potato fields at three different altitudes. The study was carried out in Probolinggo District, East Java, Indonesia. The sampling area was divided into three groups based on altitude variations, namely 1,008 m asl., 1,413 m asl., and 1,875 m asl. Soil samples were collected randomly in a zigzag pattern. Samples were collected from 20 points across each field at a depth of 20-30 cm below the soil surface. Each sub-sample included up to 500 g of soil. The white head tray method extracted nematodes from 500 g of soil from each subsample. After characterizing the extracted nematodes, the absolute density and dominance values were determined. The results revealed variations in the three areas with different altitudes. The total number of plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) discovered on the field at an altitude of 1,008 m asl. was 57.00 ± 16.43. Furthermore, at an altitude of 1,413 m asl., the total number of PPNs discovered is 41.67 ± 10.98. The total number of nematodes on the field at an altitude of 1,875 m asl. was 50.50 ± 12.60. The findings of this study also indicated that Meloidogyne sp. was the genus with the highest population on the field, at an altitude of 1,008 m asl. On the other hand, Pratylenchus sp. is the most abundant nematode in the field between 1,413 and 1,875 m asl. An identical situation also occurred with the nematode dominance values in the three fields studied.