Meloidogyne Spp.

Full Name

Meloidogyne Spp.

Keywords

Meloidogyne Spp.; Meloidogyne; J2 hypodermal chords; adult female dorsal gland lobe (DG); extension; ampulla

Background

Members of the genus Meloidogyne (Chitwood), the root-knot nematodes, are an agronomically important group of pathogens that establish a complex parasitic relationship with a wide range of host plants. Currently, well over 2000 plants are susceptible to root-knot nematode infections, leading to over 5% of global crop loss. Substances produced in the esophageal glands of Chitwood are secreted through the stylets of feeding root-knot nematodes, modifying several root protophloem cells into elaborate feeding sites called giant-cells. Nutrients from the giant-cells are required for the growth and pronounced morphological changes that occur during nematode development from a motile, vermiform juvenile to an enlarged, rounded, sedentary adult female. These changes include a reduction in size of the two subventral esophageal gland cells and an increase in size of the single dorsal esophageal gland cell as the nematode develops to an adult female.