Survey on potato cyst nematodes in Algeria
In Algeria, potato cyst nematodes (Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis, both EPPO A2 List) were first recorded in 1953. It is hypothetized that they have been introduced with infested seed potatoes from the United Kingdom soon after the Second World War. By 1961, the infested area had increased to 33 localities around Algiers. Potato cyst nematodes were then reported from several Algerian potato-producing regions, including Aïn Defla, Tipaza, Mascara and Sétif regions. In 2013, a survey on cyst nematodes was carried out in the region of Aïn Defla, in areas where potato crops were rotated with cereals. As a result, Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis were found, in separate or mixed populations, in 5 municipalities (Aïn Defla, Arib, El Amra, Mekhatria, Rouina) of the Aïn Defla region. The high genetic diversity of Algerian populations of potato cyst nematodes suggests that multiple introductions have taken place. Finally, in these areas which were previously cropped with cereals, cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera avenae and H. hordecalis) were also found. It is concluded that further surveys should be carried out to study potato cyst nematode populations in other regions of Algeria, and determine which pathotypes are present in order to select the most appropriate potato cultivars.
Sources
Tirchi N, Troccoli A, Fanelli E, Mokabli A, Mouhouche F, De Luca F (2016) Morphological and molecular identification of potato and cereal cyst nematode isolates from Algeria and their phylogenetic relationships with other populations from distant geographical areas. European Journal of Plant Pathology 146(4), 861-880.