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Detection and molecular characterization of the rice root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola in Italy

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Abstract

The rice root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola was detected in North Italy attacking roots of rice plants in lowland and upland fields. This nematode was previously reported only in South and Southeast Asia, China, South Africa, United States, Columbia and Brazil attacking rice and wheat. The present study provides an integrative diagnosis of the nematode on the basis of morphological and molecular data by sequencing the SCAR species specific marker, the ITS region and the partial mitochondrial coII-16srRNA genes. Morphological and morphometric traits of the new intercepted population of M. graminicola agree with the original description. The diagnostic SCAR marker was amplified showing the expected size fragment and unequivocally identified the Italian population as M. graminicola. Sequence analyses of ITS and coII-16SrRNA confirmed this identification. Sequence comparison of both molecular markers among Italian M. graminicola populations from lowland and upland rice fields revealed 100% identity. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS and coII-16SrRNA sequences revealed that Italian M. graminicola formed a well supported cluster with M. graminicola populations from GenBank confirming the high intraspecific variability among all populations. No correlation between genetic variability and geographic origins occurred. Furthermore, the phylogenetic trees suggest a common ancestor for most of the facultative meiotic parthenogenetic Meloidogyne species.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank Mr. Vincenzo Radicci for technical assistance in sample processing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), S.S. di Bari, Via Amendola 122/D, 70126, Bari, Italy

    Elena Fanelli, Alberto Troccoli, Francesco Capriglia & Francesca De Luca

  2. Regione Piemonte-Settore Fitosanitario e Servizi Tecnico-Scientifici, Turin, Piemonte, Italy

    Alba Cotroneo, Loredana Carisio, Silvio Grosso & Cristina Boero

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  1. Elena Fanelli
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  2. Alba Cotroneo
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  3. Loredana Carisio
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  4. Alberto Troccoli
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  5. Silvio Grosso
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  6. Cristina Boero
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  7. Francesco Capriglia
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  8. Francesca De Luca
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Correspondence to Francesca De Luca.

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Fanelli, E., Cotroneo, A., Carisio, L. et al. Detection and molecular characterization of the rice root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola in Italy. Eur J Plant Pathol 149, 467–476 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-017-1196-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-017-1196-7

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