AUTHOR=Anderson Scott D. , Gleason Cynthia A. 

TITLE=A molecular beacon real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the identification of M. chitwoodi, M. fallax, and M. minor

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1096239

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1096239

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Root-knot nematodes (<italic>Meloidogyne</italic> spp.) are major pests of many important crops around the world. In the Northwestern region of the United States of America (USA), <italic>Meloidogyne chitwoodi</italic> causes economic losses in potatoes because the nematodes can infect the tubers, which leads to potato galling and reductions in marketable yield. <italic>Meloidogyne chitwoodi</italic> is a quarantine pathogen in certain potato export markets, and there is little industry tolerance for the presence of this nematode. Recently, two <italic>Meloidogyne</italic> species that are not known to be present in agricultural fields in the USA were detected on golf turfgrasses in California and Washington. These species, <italic>M. fallax</italic> and <italic>M. minor</italic>, are morphologically similar to <italic>M. chitwoodi</italic> and can infect potatoes and cause tuber damage. Their detection in the USA means that they could potentially infest potato fields and become a problem in potato production. Additionally, <italic>M. fallax</italic> is a regulated plant pest in the USA, which makes the correct identification of potato-infecting root-knot nematodes important. Previously, there was no single-tube assay that could determine whether <italic>M. chitwoodi</italic>, <italic>M. fallax</italic>, and/or <italic>M. minor</italic> were present in a sample. Thus, a molecular beacon real-time PCR assay which can reliably detect <italic>M. chitwoodi</italic>, <italic>M. fallax</italic>, or <italic>M. minor</italic> from crude nematode extracts was designed and characterized.</p>