- Ditylenchus destructor
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Potato rot nematode Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Nematoda Class: Tylenchoidea Subclass: Diplogasteria Order: Tylenchida Superfamily: Tylenchoidea Family: Anguinidae Subfamily: Anguininae Genus: Ditylenchus Species: D. destructor Binomial name Ditylenchus destructor
Thorne, 1945Ditylenchus destructor is a plant pathogenic nematode commonly known as the potato rot nematode. Other common names include the iris nematode, the potato tuber eelworm and the potato tuber nematode.
Contents
Morphology and biology
Potato rot nematodes are microscopic worms approximately 1.4 millimetres long. Their life cycle takes place inside potato tubers where they eat starch grains. This causes the affected tissues to becomes brown and powdery and the surface of the tuber to become covered with dark patches with dry cracking skin. The nematodes live inside the living tissue where they aggregate rapidly as the fecund females each produce up to 250 eggs. They survive in stored tubers during the winter and can infect the stolons of planting material. The soil plays only a secondary role in the transfer of this nematode.[1]
Ecology
This species is cosmopolitan and found throughout all the climatic zones where potatoes are cultivated. It is unable to withstand desiccation and is usually only important in cool, moist soils.[2] It is not restricted to the potato and is able to survive on other host plants including garlic, onion, beet, carrot, tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon, eggplant, pepper,[1] bulbous iris, clover and groundnuts. Altogether, about 70 crops and weeds have been recorded as hosts along with a similar number of species of fungus.[2]
References
External links
Categories:- Nematodes
- Plant pathogens and diseases
- Nematode stubs
- Plant disease stubs
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