Authors
R. Kaur, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611;
J. A. Brito, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville, FL 32614; and
D. W. Dickson, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611
Paulownia elongata S.Y. Hu (Scrophulariaceae) is a fast-growing tree cultivated for highly prized timber. In April 2007, root-knot nematodes were found to be infecting 5-year-old plants of P. elongata growing on a farm in Levy County, Florida. Symptoms included leaf yellowing, stunted growth, and reduced trunk diameter. Infected roots were severely galled and frequently rotted. Large and coalesced galls were observed on secondary roots and distinct galls were present on tertiary roots. Species identifications were done by morphological characters of females and isozyme phenotypes (esterase and malate dehydrogenase) extracted from young egg-laying females and resolved with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a BioRad Mini Protean III system (BioRad, Hercules, CA). Four species of root-knot nematodes were found to be infecting P. elongata. Morphology of perineal patterns and the isozyme phenotypes were consistent with those of M. arenaria, M. incognita, M. javanica, and M. mayaguensis (1). M. incognita and M. javanica have been described earlier on P. fortunei and P. tomentosa (2), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of P. elongata as a host of these four Meloidogyne spp.
References: (1) R. M. D. G. Carneiro et al. Nematology 6:287, 2004. (2) V. Sharma and M. D. Mehrotra. Indian J. For. 22:149, 1999.
