PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES ASSOCIATED WITH COFFEE, A NEWLY INTRODUCED CROP TO SOUTH WEST SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

A survey of plant parasitic nematodes associated with coffee, C. arabica L., was conducted in Fayfa and Bani Malek heights, Jazan region, South West Saudi Arabia. Root and rhizosphere soil samples were collected from and around the feeder roots of the coffee shrubs showing poor growth symptoms. Nematodes were extracted by centrifugal floatation, and identified to generic level. The associated plant parasitic nematode genera, in a descending order, according to their prominence values (PV) were: Rotylenchulus (PV= 36.0), Rotylenchus (18.4), Ditylenchus (15.0), Hemicriconemoides (14.1), Criconemella (11.3),Tylenchus (10.4), Meloidogyne, Paratylenchus, Trichodorus and Zygotylenchus (10.0, each),Tylenchorhynchus (8.5), Scutellonema (5.7), Aphelenchus (5.0), Hoplolaimus and Longid orus, (4.0, %, each). This is the first report on the association of plant parasitic nematodes with coffee in Saudi Arabia..