The relationship of population densities of Meloidogyne konaensis to nutritional status of roots and leaves of coffee in a commercial field in the Kona district on the island of Hawaii was assessed. The clustered spatial pattern of M. konaensis was inversely related to concentrations of K+Ca+Mg in the coffee roots. Other inverse relationships existed between the numbers of M. konaensis and concentrations of Mg (roots), Cu (roots and leaves), and Al (roots). From February (first flush of flowering) to May (early stage of fruit development), concentrations of P, K, Mg, K+Ca+Mg, Cu, B decreased in the coffee roots and Zn and Al concentrations decreased in the coffee leaves. The association between foliar nutrient deficiencies in trees associated with high population densities of the nematode is an indication that the nematode is inciting the deficiencies.
