Races of the Barley Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne naasi. I. Characterization by Host Preference.

The host preferences of populations of Meloidogyne naasi from England, California, Illinois, Kentucky and Kansas were compared. Among 22 plant species tested, most were hosts for isolates of all five populations; crabgrass was added to the list of known hosts. Differential reactions of isolates on creeping bentgrass, curly dock, sorghum, and common chickweed demonstrated the existence of at least five physiological races within M. naasi. The known races are numerically designated and characterized.