Heterodera fici

 

Contents

 

Rev 10/16/2023

Fug Cyst Nematode Classification Hosts
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Heterodera 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
          Heteroderinae

           Heterodera fici Kir'yanova, 1954

A memner os the Humuli group of Heterodera spp.

Synonyms:
    

Review general characteristics of the genus Heterodera.

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Morphology and Anatomy:

Heterodera fici is considered one of the Humuli group of the genus Heterodera. It differs from other members of the group in that the vulval cone is ambifenestrate rather than being bifenestrate,

General Characteristics of the Humuli Group of Heterodera

Cysts lemon-shaped
Bifenestrate except H. fici
Bullae absent or present
Underbridge weak
Vulval slit long
J2 incisures 4
Dicotyledonous hosts

(Handoo and Subbotin, 2018; Subbotin et al., 2022)

 

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Females:
Lemon-shaped
Ambifenestrate
Males:  

 

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

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Distribution:

Initially described from th roots of Ficus elastica imported from China to Russia. Later fouind to be widely distributed on figs in the Mediterranean region; also associated with ornamental figs (Subbotin et al., 2010)..

Reported from Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, North America (Scheck, 20221, Her and Raski, 1956; Sun et al., 2017; Subbotin et al., 2010).


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Economic Importance:

C-rated pest in California Nematode Pest Rating System. (Scheck, H.J., 2022)

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Feeding:


Sedentary endoparasite of plant roots wih female body protruding on the root surface.

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Hosts:

Hosts of the Humuli group are generally Dictoyledons. Ficus spp.


 
For an extensive host range list for this species, click

 

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Life Cycle:

.After emerging from the egg, the J2s penetrate fig feeder roots, become sedentary, swell, and establish a permanent feeding site in developing vascular tissues.. Adult females are swollen and protrude with the posterior portions of their bodies external to the root. They produce eggs which are retained in the body.  The femal body hardens into a protective cyst containing 200-250 embryonated eggs. Males leave the root after reaching maturity. They copulate with the females protruding from the root.

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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

 

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Damage:

Poor plant growth and leaf chlorosis have been reported in infected figs (Vovlas et al., 1989). However, such indicators of a damaged or compromised root system are non-diagnostic and easily confused with other diseases, caused by other nematode species, pathogens, or abiotic problems. Sampling and morphological and/or molecular identification of the nematode is necessary to allow ascribing the cause of damage.

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Management:

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:

Scheck, H.J. 2022. California Pest Rating Proposal for Heterodera fici Kirjanova, 1954 Fig cyst nematode . California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California, USA

Sher, S.A. and Raski, D.J. 1956, Heterodera fici Kirjanova 1954 in California. Plant Disease Reporter 40:700.

Subbotin, S.A., Mundo-Ocampo, M. Baldwin, J.G. 2010. Systematocsof Cyst Nematodes in Hunt, D.J. and Perry, R.N. (eds) Nematology Monographs and Perspectives 8B. Brill.

 Subbotin, S.A., Roubtsova, T.V., Bostock, R.M., Maffi, Z.T., Chizhov, V.N. 2022. DNA barcoding, phylogeny and phylogeography of the cyst nematode species of the Humuli group from the genus  Heterodera (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae). Nematology 24:873-886.

Sun, F., Henry, N., Yu, Q., 2017. First report of the fig cyst nematode, Heterodera fici Kirjanova, on fig tree, Ficus carica, in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Nematology, 49:131-132.

Vovlas, N., Inserra, R.N. and O�Bannon, J.H. 1989. The fig cyst nematode, Heterodera fici. Nematology Circular No. 168. Florida Department Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, 3 pp.

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