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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408225
Research Project: Plant-associated Nematode Management and Systematics and USDA Nematode Collection Curation

Location: Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory

Title: First report of molecular variability of Belonolaimus longicaudatus associated with turfgrass in Maryland

Author
item Waldo, Benjamin
item Li, Shiguang
item Handoo, Zafar
item Skantar, Andrea
item SHAHOVEISI, FERESHTEH - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/25/2023
Publication Date: 8/24/2024
Citation: Waldo, B.D., Li, S., Handoo, Z.A., Skantar, A.M., Shahoveisi, F. 2024. First report of molecular variability of Belonolaimus longicaudatus associated with turfgrass in Maryland. Journal of Nematology. 56(1). Article e20s4-1. https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2024-0026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2024-0026

Interpretive Summary: The sting nematode is a microscopic roundworm that feeds on plant roots. It has a long needle-like structure, called a stylet, that is used to puncture roots and ingest cell contents for food. Sting nematodes are capable of causing serious damage to crop roots, especially turfgrass. Damaged plant roots struggle to take up water and may not survive during dry periods. In the southeast US, sting nematodes are among the most important pests of turfgrass on golf courses and athletic fields. They can cause severe decline and death to turfgrass if not managed. On the eastern coast of the U.S., sting nematodes have limited distribution north of Virginia. As part of our research, we collected a soil sample from an athletic field in Maryland and detected sting nematodes. We used diagnostic keys and DNA sequencing to confirm identity as Belonolaimus longicaudatus. This finding represents the first report of sting nematodes in Maryland. Sting nematodes in the northeastern U.S. are not currently believed to pose the same risk to crops as in the southeastern US, but monitoring their spread is advisable.

Technical Abstract: Turfgrass is a crop used extensively in athletic fields and golf courses in Maryland. A soil sample collected in July 2023 from an athletic field in Baltimore County, Maryland, as part of a turfgrass nematode survey, contained Belonolaimus longicaudatus. In the southeastern US, B. longicaudatus is an economically important pathogen of warm-season turfgrass. The density was 4 individuals per 100cm3 soil with no visual symptoms observed in the bermudagrass field. Morphological measurements of 10 females and 10 males were consistent with B. longicaudatus. Sequencing of internal transcribed spacer region ITS1 and ITS2 and 28S large subunit rDNA D2-23 expansion region confirmed identity. ITS region shared 99% sequence identity with a B. longicaudatus isolate detected in Delaware (GQ896549.1) and the D2-D3 region shared 99% sequence identity with a Florida isolate (KF963100.1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. longicaudatus in Maryland.