Susceptibility of mushrooms to Aphelenchoides swarupi and Aphelenchus avenae

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess the relative susceptibility of the mushrooms Agaricus bisporus, A. bitorquis, Pleurotus sajor-caju and Calocybe indica to Aphelenchoides swarupi and Aphelenchus avenae in vitro. The sex ratio of A. swarupi multiplying on A. bisporus was also assessed. Agaricus bisporus was the most susceptible mushroom followed by A. bitorquis and C. indica. Neither nematode affected the growth of P. sajor caju or reproduced on this mushroom. Twenty days after nematode inoculation, per cent mycelial depletion in A. bisporus, A. bitorquis and Calocybe indica was 41.8, 38.4 and 23.7, respectively. Of the nematodes, A. swarupi was the more destructive, causing mycelia depletion of 22.3%, larger than the 13.5% depletion caused by A. avenae. The largest population of A. swarupi (5,197) was recorded on A. bisporus, closely followed by 5,042 on A. bitorquis. With A. swarupi on A. bisporus, the average male to female ratio of the progeny developed from a single gravid female was 1:2.