Investigations On the Life Cycles and Host Preference of Some Species of Xiphinema and Longidorus Under Controlled Conditions

Abstract

Hand-picked nematodes of five species of Xiphinema and one species of Longidorus were reared in laboratory cultures for 9 months on young seedlings of some woody and herbaceous plant varieties. X. index completed its life cycle on sour orange (Citrus aurantium), grapevine (Vitis vinifera) and dwarf nettle (Urtica urens), and multiplied on strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa) and bur marigold (Bidens tripartita). X. brevicolle completed its life cycle on sour orange, grapevine and dwarf nettle, and multiplied on strawberry. L. africanus completed its life cycle on bur marigold and grapevine, and failed to multiply on any of the other plants tested. X. italiae and X. diversicaudatum multiplied slightly on sour orange and grapevine, while X. mediterraneum failed to multiply on any of the plants tested. The minimum time required for completion of the life cycle on a suitable host at a permanent temperature range of 20-23°C was found to be between 7 and 9 months for X. index, between 4 and 7 months for X. brevicolle and less than 4 months for L. africanus.