Molecular determination of root-knot nematode species, Meloidogyne spp. Goeldi, 1892 (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae) infesting weeds in kiwifruit orchards in Türkiye

In this investigation, the species of root-knot nematodes (RKNs) infesting weeds in kiwifruit orchards were investigated in the Ordu Province, Türkiye. A survey was conducted in 2018 and roots of weeds with RKN infestations were found in kiwifruit orchards. The infested weed samples were collected from 27 kiwifruit fruit orchards located in the Ordu Province. Identification of RKNs was performed using the molecular method based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mtDNA region between the cytochrome oxidase II and the large subunit ribosomal RNA was amplified using two pairs of primers TRNAH/MRH106 and MORF/MTHIS. Species-specific primers previously described were used to confirm Meloidogyne species as the last step. Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White, 1919), Meloidogyne arenaria (Neal, 1889) and Meloidogyne hapla (Chitwood, 1949) (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae) were identified from fifteen weed species (2 unidentified) in eight families. Meloidogyne incognita was the most frequent species with 74.1% of the samples infested, followed by M. hapla at 22.2% and M. arenaria at 3.7%. In this study found Erigeron canadensis L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), Mercurialis annua L. (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), Oxalis pes-caprae L. (Oxalidales: Oxalidaceae), Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), Fumaria officinalis L. (Ranunculales: Papaveraceae) and Lycopus spp. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) to be previously unrecorded hosts of M. incognita and Sigesbeckia orientalis L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) and Lythrum spp. (Myrtales: Lythraceae) a host of M. hapla.