First report of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne arenaria, on lavender in Turkey

Lavender is a medicinal and aromatic plant that is widely grown in Turkey. Gall symptoms were observed on roots of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) collected from Kırklareli and Edirne provinces. Egg masses were collected from galled roots. DNA isolated from all samples was screened by species-specific primers belonging to the most common species of root-knot nematodes and M. arenaria was the only species that was identified in all of the samples analyzed. This is the first report of M. arenaria infecting lavender in Turkey.