HISTOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS INDUCED BY ROTYLENCHULUS RENIFORMIS ON COFFEA ARABICA ROOTS

Abstract

Investigations on the histopathology of Rotylenchulus renifotmis Linford et Oliveira, on coffee (Coffea arabica L.) roots revealed that the permanent feeding site of adult female is initiated in an endodermal cell. Syncytia induced in coffee feeder roots consist of a curved sheet of pericyclic cells which are conspicuously hypertrophied, with densely staining cytoplasm, extended 6-10 cells on either side of the feeding place, both circumferentially and longitudinally, involving 150- 200 modified cells. A small feeding peg surrounds the nematode stylet where it penetrates the thickened cell wall of the initial cell of syncytium. The stylet tip seems to be continuous with a small feeding tube, which is included in the cell contents of the nematode feeding cell of the syncytium.