A simple root box acts as an efficient tool to quantify the newly produced cyst nematodes

To save time and effort in quantifying the newly produced females of Heterodera schachtii (HS), we introduced a simple root box (RB). The RB was composed of two transparent trays, where we examined whether the number of young females on the plant roots in the RB that would be seen from the outside could be used to accurately predict the number of mature females (cysts) in the RB soil. We inoculated 20 to 10 , 000 individuals of the HS second-stage juveniles into Chinese cabbage seedlings that were planted in the RB. After 20 and 58 days of inoculation at 25 ° C, we quantified the number of young females that appeared on the roots and the number of mature females (cysts) that appeared in the RB soil, respectively. We detected a high correlation, in which the total number of the HS females that appeared on the roots in the RB was a relatively reliable predictor of the total number of HS cysts in the RB soil. However, we concluded that controlling the moisture and the type of soil in the RB may influence the reliability of the quantification using the RB. Nematol. Res. 50 ( 2 ), 35 – 38 . ( 2020 )