IDENTIFICATION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY OF <I>MELOIDOGYNE CHITWOODI</I> IN POTATO PRODUCTION AREAS OF TURKEY

Abstract

Devran, Z., M. Nedim, O. Adem, and E. I. Halil. 2009. Identification and genetic diversity of Meloidogyne chitwoodi in potato production areas of Turkey. Nematropica 39:75-83. Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) were first detected in Turkey during regional nematode surveys of potato fields of Nigde province. Twelve populations of Meloidogyne were collected and identified based on morphological characteristics as well as molecular methods including species-specific primers, confirming that all twelve populations were M. chitwoodi. To estimate genetic relationships among these twelve populations, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was done and the results were subjected to UPGM analysis. Analysis of 394 RAPD markers resulted in a similarity coefficient, ranging between 0.64 and 0.81 with a mean similarity of 0.72. The populations Mc3 and Mc4 displayed the greatest genetic similarity (81%). The lowest level of similarity (65%) was observed between Mc9 and Mc7. The large genetic variation among the M. chitwoodi populations indicates that multiple sources of inoculum might have been introduced to the region or that the populations formerly existed in these potato growing areas of Turkey.