Root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne represent one of the most damaging and agriculturally important groups of plant-parasitic nematodes. These nematodes are obligate sedentary endoparasites infecting most species of higher plants and have a cosmopolitan distribution. Annual worldwide economic losses due to nematode infection of crops have been estimated at several hundred billion US dollars. Although 98 valid Meloidogyne species are known at present, the majority of research articles and books has focused on four species that are commonly regarded as the major root-knot nematodes species: M. arenaria, M. hapla, M. incognita and M. javanica. These four species are extremely widespread, infecting and damaging a wide range of major crops. The far-reaching presence of these species has led to frequent misidentifications and limited attention given to less important species, some of which are currently listed as quarantine pests in various countries. In writing this book we have attempted to fill a need for a reference book on the systematics of the root-knot nematodes. We tried to summarise facts from many publications for all species. The book includes introductions to the morphology, biology, biogeography, genomics, phylogeny and host-parasite relationships of root-knot nematodes. Methods of biochemical and molecular diagnostics presently used for identification of root-knot nematodes are also briefly described. The main part of this book is devoted to species descriptions, with photos and drawings of all developing stages. Information on distribution, plant hosts, pathogenicity, polytomous identification codes and available biochemical and molecular characterisation are also given for each valid species. We believe that this book will be useful for nematologists and plant pathologists and hope that it will stimulate further research on the systematics of this important nematode group.
Sergei A. Subbotin, Juan E. Palomares-Rius
and Pablo Castillo
Sacramento, USA, and Cordoba, Spain
October, 2020