Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

DIAGNOSTIC OF NEW SPECIES OF ROOT KNOT NEMATODE (MELOIDOGYNE CRUCIANI) ASSOCITED WITH EGG PLANT IN BABYLON GOVERNORATE/IRAQ BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND MOLECULAR METHODS

Sarah Tareq Hasan, Inad Dhaher Abood and Asmaa Mansoor Abd_Al Rasoul

Abstract

Meloidogyne cruciani new species infecting eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in Babylon governorate in Hashimia/Shomali districtis defined and demonstrated. M. cruciani is diagnosed based on morphological characters of perineal pattern to adult females as well as depended on molecular methods to diagnose. The results of Morphological characters of perineal pattern were showed punctuations around the anus of the female which are distinguished this species from other species that were showed in this study (M. javanica and M. incognita). Molecular methods were agreement with morphological characters when depended on partial sequence of the 18S nuclear rDNA region by using MelF/Mel Runiversal primer for Meloidogyne species. The results of data sequences showed presenceof M. cruciani when compared with GenBank sequences that obtained to several species showed 100% maximum nucleotide identity with France isolate M. cruciani (HE667740.1). sequence of Iraq M. cruciani was deposited in GenBank database with accession number KY659414.1. The study presents the first molecular confirmation and sequence data of presence of M. cruciani in Iraq.