First Report of Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) Infecting Parsley in Turkey

Abstract

Commercial parsley plants in Safranbolu were found with symptoms of decline, stunting, yellowing and many galls in the roots, symptoms typical of infestation by root knot nematodes. Morphological, biochemical and molecular methods were used to identify the causal root knot nematode species. Morphological characteristic and perineal patterns of the females and isoenzyme phenotypes matched the description of Meloidogyne arenaria. Polymerase chain reaction with the M. arenaria species-specific Far/Rar primer set also produced a 420-bp fragment, the same as obtained with a positive control population of M. arenaria. Results, therefore, confirm that the root knot nematodes isolated from parsley roots were M. arenaria. This is the first report of M. arenaria infecting parsley in Turkey.