Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Meloidogyne arenaria (Neal, 1889) Chitwood, 1949 Populations Parasitizing Pistachio in Kerman and Khorasan Razavi Provinces, Iran

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are the most destructive nematode species in main pistachio cultivation areas of Iran, and adversely affect crop quality and yield. So far, Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica have been reported infecting pistachio. In this study, four populations of M. arenaria were found infecting pistachio in Kerman and Khorasan Razavi provinces. The morphology and morphometrics of the recovered populations closely match the data given for other populations of the species. Molecular characterization of the recovered populations was performed by sequencing three genomic and mitochondrial regions, including D2-D3 of LSU rDNA, COII-16S and Nad5 mtDNA. The D2-D3 sequences had more than 99% identity with many sequences of tropical species. The COII-16S sequences had more than 99% identity with sequences of M. arenaria, M. morocciensis and M. thailandica. The Nad5 sequences had 99.81% identity with some sequences of M. arenaria. The D2-D3 and COII-16S sequences of M. arenaria did not form independent clades in corresponding Bayesian trees, but Nad5 sequences formed a monophyletic group in corresponding phylogeny. Based on this study, M. arenaria is present in Iran’s pistachio gardens, necessitating appropriate management measures.