Schwartz, B. M., K. E. Kenworthy, W. T. Crow, J. A. Ferrell, G. L. Miller, K. H. Quesenberry. 2008. Methodology for screening Belonolaimus longicaudatus in a turfgrass breeding program. Nematropica 38:163-175. Efforts to screen large numbers of turfgrass genotypes would likely result in the discovery of genes associated with resistance or tolerance to plant-parasitic nematodes. The identification of germplasm with these characteristics will become increasingly important as stringent regulations regarding the use of soil fumigants and nematicides are put into place. Therefore, a glasshouse study was initiated to investigate plant-parasitic nematode evaluation methods on 'TifEagle' hybrid bermudagrass to identify a high throughput, accurate and repeatable greenhouse screen useful to turfgrass breeding programs during sequential trials in 2007. Three establishment methods, classified as: i) conetainers grown in for 45 days (45-d conetainers), ii) conetainers grown in for 90 days (90-d conetainers), and iii) clay pots grown in for 90 days (90-d clay pots) before inoculation with sting nematodes, respectively, were assessed. Two inoculation rates, 50 and 100 mixed life stages of Belonolaimus longicaudatus/100 cm3 of soil, were compared to an uninoculated control within each establishment method. Total dry root weights were 38% and 28% larger for uninoculated treatments when compared to an average of the two sting nematode inoculated treatments in the 45-d conetainers and 90-d conetainers, respectively. Root weights were not significantly reduced by sting nematode pressure in the 90-d clay pots. Total root lengths of uninoculated treatments were 57%, 55%, and 31% greater than an average of the two inoculated treatments in the 45-d conetainers, 90-d conetainers, and 90-d clay pots, respectively. Results were generally more variable for treatments grown in 90-d clay pots and some root length characteristics were not consistent between trials in the 90-d conetainers. Quantifying root damage using 45-d conetainers inoculated with 50 sting nematodes provided reproducible results characteristic of those reported in other greenhouse and field evaluations.
