P-428 - Plant-parasitic nematodes associated with corn and soybeans in Arkansas

Plant-parasitic nematodes are important yield limiting pests in corn and soybean production in Arkansas. There is currently limited information on the diversity of plant-parasitic nematode genera in these production systems. Over a six-year period, 553 soil samples were collected from 74% of corn producing counties, and over five years, 2,061 soil samples were collected from 81% of soybean producing counties. Samples were collected throughout the cropping season by farmers, consultants, and county agents and processed by the Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory supported by Arkansas soybean and corn checkoff dollars. Plant-parasitic nematodes were found in 93% of corn and 95% of soybean samples. Overall, eleven genera: Heterodera spp., Xiphinema spp., Hoplolaimus spp., Pratylenchus spp., Criconemoides, Rotylenchulus reniformis, Helicotylenchus spp., Belonolaimus spp., Paratrichodorus spp., Tylenchorhynchus spp., and Meloidogyne spp. were detected from all samples in both crops. Pratylenchus spp. (60.2%), Tylenchorhynchus spp. (46.3%), Helicotylenchus spp. (41.6%), Meloidogyne spp. (28.6%), and Paratrichodorus spp. (21.0%) were the most common from corn fields, while Pratylenchus spp. (45.7%), Meloidogyne spp. (42.2%), Rotylenchulus reniformis (25.7%), and Heterodera glycines (19.8%) were common from soybean fields. These data provide a current overview of the common nematode genera in corn and soybean in Arkansas.