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POSTERS: Nematology I

P-433 - Effect of Root-lesion Nematode (Pratylenchus scribneri) Inoculum Levels on Nematode Reproduction and Potato Plant Growth

Monday, August 4, 2025
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: The root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus scribneri, is a plant-parasitic nematode that can cause significant yield loss in potato. To determine the effect of initial P. scribneri inoculum levels on nematode reproduction and plant growth, a microplot experiment was established in June 2024 and terminated at 70 days after planting. Two common commercially grown potato cultivars, Umatilla Russet and Russet Burbank were planted in 10-inch diameter terracotta pots each containing 5kg of autoclaved soil. This experiment included 4 treatments: non-inoculated control, low (1,000), medium (2,000), and high (4,000) inoculum levels of P. scribneri each in 5 replicates. The nematode species was confirmed using qPCR. Treatments with low P. scribneri had the highest nematode reproductive factor (RF) of 1.45 and 1.73 in Umatilla Russet and Russet Burbank, respectively, while treatments with high inoculum had the lowest RFs of 0.71 and 0.86 High P. scribneri inoculum had significantly lower (P< 0.05) plant height of 24.51cm and 29.32cm in Umatilla Russet and Russet Burbank compared to 31.14cm and 35.55cm in respective cultivars in untreated control.  In Umatilla Russet, high P. scribneri resulted in significantly lowest dry shoot weight (93.83g) and lowest fresh root weight (19.79g) compared to the untreated control (48.28g and 113.86g). Our findings suggest low initial inoculation results in higher P. scribneri reproduction while high inoculum impacts plant growth. A repeat of this experiment for a full season will provide additional data and insights on damage potential of this nematode.