Plant parasitic nematodes associated to banana roots (Musa acuminata AA) in central Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Plant parasitic nematodes are among the major phytosanitary problems affecting banana crops worldwide. In México, this fruit is one of the main agricultural products and in the state of Veracruz the most important production area is located in the Atzalan and Tlapacoyan municipalities. In some farms of these municipalities banana plants with lesions and galling of the root, symptoms caused by nematodes, have been detected. To determine which nematodes were associated with these symptoms, roots were collected in six plantations of Atzalan and Tlapacoyan municipalities in April 2014. Identification of nematodes was performed according to their morphological characteristics, and in the case of Meloidogyne species, specific molecular markers were used. The number of nematodes per 100 g root was also quantified. Helicotylenchus sp. Meloidogyne incognita, Meloidogyne arenaria, Criconema sp., Helicotylenchus multicinctus and Radopholus similis were detected involved in the affecting of root system. The last four are recorded for the first time in the Veracruz banana plantations.