Piant-parasitic nematodes associated with cabbages (Brassica oleracea) in Samsun (Middle Black Sea Region), Turkey

Abstract

A survey was conducted in Samsun (Middle Black Sea Region), Turkey to study the occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes associated with cabbage varieties (Brassica oleracea). A total of 101 soil and root samples containing mixed populations of 10 genera and 11 species belonging to 7 families of the order Tylenchida were analyzed. Lesion (Pratylenchus thornei), spiral (Helicotylenchus sp.) and cyst forming (Heterodera cruciferae and Heterodera mediterranea) nematodes were the most frequently encountered nematode plant pests. Cyst forming nematodes were detected in 45 (45%) soil samples collected from 101 cabbage fields. The majority of these samples 78% (35) were infested with Heterodera cruciferae and 20% (9) with H. mediterranea and a single sample had a mixed population of both H. mediterranea and H. cruciferae. This survey yielded the first report of H. mediterranea in Turkey and the first record of white and red head cabbages being hosts for this and two lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus thornei and P. neglectus).