ABSTRACT:
The objective of this study was to accomplish a survey on populations of Meloidogyne andPratylenchus species in sugarcane farming areas in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. Twenty samples of soil and roots were processed to extract and quantify nematodes; however, the identification ofMeloidogyne species was performed using only 12 samples.Pratylenchus spp. were reported at moderate population levels of 68-1556 specimens 50g-1 of roots and 2-298 specimens 100cm-3 of soil in twenty analyzed samples. ForMeloidogyne spp., these values were of 12-487 specimens 50g-1 of roots and 0-140 specimens 100cm-3 of soil. Based on electrophoresis of esterase isozymes,M. incognita was reported to be the most frequent species, followed by M. javanica and M. arenaria. Pratylenchus species identified through morphometrical and morphological characteristics were P. zeae andP. brachyurus , with predominance for the first species. No significant correlation (P≤0.05) were reported between nematode populations and sugarcane cropping systems.
Key words:
field survey; plant-parasitic nematodes; Saccharum spp
