Characterization of (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae) Parasitizing Neem in India, with a Molecular Phylogeny of the Species.

Neem is a perennial plant of family Meliaceae grown very commonly in India. During a survey in Rajasthan, India; a population of root-knot nematode was found in association with tender neem plants causing yellowing, stunting, and heavy root galling. Inspection of the perineal pattern morphology of the adult females, extracted from the galled roots, primarily led to identification of the species as Meloidogyne indica . Further, detailed morphological and morphometric illustrations of second-stage juveniles, males and females were carried out by light compound and scanning electron microscopy. Gross morphology and measurements were found consistent with the original description of M. indica infecting citrus by Whitehead (1968). The neem population was found to infect and reproduce on citrus. Additionally, evolutionary relationship was deduced by Maximum likelihood method using ITS rRNA, D2D3 expansion segment of 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI sequences. Phylogenetic analyses based on these sequences showed sufficient divergence of M. indica to be differentiated as a unique species under the genus Meloidogyne .