Meloidogyne kikuyensis

Meloidogyne kikuyensis	Contents	Rev 10/24/2023
Kikuyu Grass Root-knot Nematode	Classification	Hosts
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Meloidogyne Menu	Economic Importance	Damage
	Distribution	Management
Return to Heteroderidae Menu	Feeding	References
	Go to Nemaplex Main Menu	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

      Tylenchida
       Tylenchina
        Tylenchoidea
         Heteroderidae
          Meloidogyninae

Meloidogyne kikuyensis De Grisse, 1961

Review general characteristics of the genus Meloidogyne.

This species is reported to have only 7 chromosomes, similar to M. spartinae, rather than the n=13-19 of most root-knot nematode species. The chromosomes of M. kikuyensis are larger than those of most other Meloidogyne species (Eisenback and Viera, 2020).

Female:

Body round to sub-spherical
Perineal with high square dorsal arch.

Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

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Distribution:

Reported fro, kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in Kenya and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) in South Africa (Eisenback and Viera, 2020).

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Economic Importance:

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Feeding:

Sedentary endoparasite.

Feeding site establishment and development typical of genus.

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Hosts:

.Type Host: Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum)

For an extensive host range list for this species, click

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Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click	If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

Chromosome number n=7. Reproduction by amphimixis (Triantaphyllou, 1985; Eisenback and Viera, 2020; Subbotin et al., 2021).

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Damage:

Causes small nodule-like galls on roots. Giant cells seem to be formed by disoolution of cell walls, as occurs with cyst nematodes, rather than by hypertrophy and nuclear division without cell divison.

The vascular tissues supplying the giant cells are at right angles to the vascular cylinder of the main root.

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Management:

Resistance

Host Plant Resistance, Non-hosts and Crop Rotation alternatives:

For plants reported to have some level of resistance to this species, click

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References:

De Grisse, A. 1961. Meloidogyne kikuyensis n.sp., a parasite of kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in Kenya. Nematologica 5:303-308.

Eisenback, J.D., Viera, P. 2020. Additional notes on the morphology and molecular data of the Kikuyu root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne kikuyensis (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae). J. Nematology 52: | DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2020-067

Subbotin, S.A. Palomares-Rius, J.E., Castillo, P. 2021. Systematics of Root-knot Nematodes (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae). Nematology Monographs and Perspectives Vol 14: D.J. Hunt and R.N. Perry (eds) Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands 857p.

Triantaphyllou, A.C. 1985. Gametogenesis and the chromosomes of Meloidogune nataliei: not typical of other root-knot nematodes. J. Nematology 17:1-5.

Triantaphyllou, A.C. 1985. Cytogenetics, cytotaxonomy and phylogeny of root-knot nematodes. In Sasser, J.N. & Carter, C.C. (eds) An Advanced Treatiswe on Meloidogyne.Vol 1. Biology and Control.N.C. State Universty Graphics, Raleigh, N.C. USA.