Author: A.N. TAN AND M.E. ÖKTEN

E-ISSN: 0255-7576

Volume: 29 Issue: 1

ABSTRACT:

Plant parasitic nematodes (Tylenchida:Nematoda) found on watermelon Citrullus lunatus Thunb (Mansf.) growing in the Diyarbakir province of Turkey were examined faunistically and taxonomically. This study was carried out in four towns (Çınar, Ergani, Silvan, Central) important for the cultivation of watermelon during the summer of 2001-2002. Samples were taken from 16 different watermelon fields and examined in the laboratory. By the end of our research twenty-five species were identified. One of these species (Pratylenchus fallax Seinhorst, 1968) is a new record for Turkey. Its identification, distribution in Diyarbakir and morphological and morphometric characteristic are given. This is the first report of plant parasitic nematodes associated with water melon cultivation areas in Diyarbakir province. Other common species found were: Filenchus cylindricauda (Wu, 1969) Siddiqi 1986,Pratylenchus fallax Seinhorst (1968), Boleodorus (B.) thyllactus Thorne (1941), Ditylenchus destructor Thorne (1945) and Merlinius nanus (Allen, 1955) Siddiqi, 1970.