A survey of phytoparasitic nematodes on cultivated and non-cultivated plants in northwestern egypt.

Surveys were conducted in Alexandria, El-Behera, and Matrouh Governorates in northwestern Egypt during the 1994-1998 cropping seasons to study the occurrence, population density, host associations, and distribution of phytoparasitic nematodes associated with 35 major crops, grasses, and weeds. A total of 220 soil and root samples containing mixed populations of 26 genera and 38 species of phytoparasitic nematodes was analyzed; three known genera and 13 known species are reported for the first time in northwestern Egypt. Root-knot nematodes with 34 occurrences were the most frequently encountered group of nematodes, followed by spiral, stunt, ring, lesion, lance, and dagger nematodes with 19, 18, 15, 9, 8, and 7 occurrences, respectively. New species records are Boleodorus pakistanensis, Criconemella sphaerocephala, Discocriconemella sphaerocephaloides, Hemicriconemoides cocophilus, Hemicycliophora thienmanni, Hoplolaimus clarissimus, Irantylenchus clavidorus, Merlinius nanus, Paratylenchus projectus, Tylenchorhynchus ebriensis, Tylenchus afghanicus, T. exiguus, Xiphinema basilgoodeyi, and X. ensiculiferum. Survey results showed new host plant records for most of the identified nematode species in Egypt.