Incidence of cereal cyst nematodes in the East Anatolia Region in Turkey

Cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp., CCN) are major economic plant-parasitic nematodes of wheat grown in the East Anatolian region of Turkey. Identification of CCN species is essential for choosing the right control strategy. The morphological and molecular characteristics of cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp.) were determined for specimens collected from wheat fields from different provinces of the East Anatolia region in Turkey. Fifty-six percent of wheat fields were infested with cereal cyst nematodes. Based on morphological characterisations and molecular techniques, two Heterodera species, H. filipjevi and H. latipons, were identified. Heterodera filipjevi was the dominant species in the wheat fields of Elazig, Malatya, Sivas, Erzurum, Erzincan, Igdir and Kars provinces, while H. latipons was found only in three provinces (Erzincan, Elazig and Malatya). This is the first detection of H. latipons in the East Anatolia region. Genetic dissimilarity was higher within H. filipjevi populations than within H. latipons populations. While intraspecific polymorphism was not observed within H. latipons, it was recorded in H. filipjevi populations. Our results showed a clear separation of the two cyst nematode species using both morphological and molecular tests, and confirmed the link between genetic and morphological traits.