🪱 Reniform Nematodes

• Reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis)
• The specific name and the common name are based on the shape of mature female i.e., Kidney shaped.

  

• Reported by Linford and Oliveria from USA in 1940 on cowpea.
• In India, reported first time by Seshadhari & Shivkumar 1963 on cotton.

Biology

• The host range is very vast and includes vegetable, fruit, pulse, fiber crops and ornamentals.
• In India it is considered to be a problem on cotton, castor, cowpea, coffee, grapes, pineapple, papaya, vegetable and pulse crops.
• Reniform nematode is as second important nematode of vegetables after root-knot.
• It is a sedentary semi-endoparasite of roots.
• Pre adult stage i.e., immature female is infective.
• Two races of R. reniformis were reported from India:
  • Race “A”: Multiply on cow pea, castor & cotton
  • Race “B”: Multiply on cowpea.

Symptom

• General stunted growth, yellowing of leaves, wilting and deterioration in the quality of fruits are commonly observed in most of the hosts.
• Malformation and discolouration of seeds in castor have been reported which adversely affect the quality and quantity of oil.

- Dropkin, V.H. 1980. Introduction to plant nematology. John Wiley and sons, INC. New York.
- Singh, R.S and Sitaramaiah, K. 1994. Plant pathogens. The plant parasitic nematodes. Oxford & IBH Pub. Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.
- Parvata Reddy, P. 1983. Plant nematology. Agricole Pub. Co., New Delhi.
- Southey, J. F. Laboratory methods for work with plant and soil nematodes Tech.
- Bull. Min. Agric. Fish. Food. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London.
- Walia, R. K and Bajaj, H. K (2014). Textbook of Introductory Plant Nematology. Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture, ICAR, New Delhi. 
- Kumar, V., Khan, M.R. & Walia, R.K. Crop Loss Estimations due to Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Major Crops in India. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. 43, 409–412 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-020-00895-2
- Figure 1: Source: A: Maggenti, 1981, B-E: Franklin, 1973