FIRST REPORT OF THE DAGGER NEMATODES XIPHINEMA INDEX AND XIPHINEMA PACHTAICUM ON GRAPEVINE IN ALGERIA

Abstract

In 2021, during a survey in the Djelfa region of Algeria, the dagger nematodes Xiphinema index and Xiphinema pachtaicum were found infesting grapevine (Vitis vinifera). These nematodes were identified based on their morphological/morphometric features and then confirmed via molecular analysis of the D2D3 region (26S rRNA). Microscopic assessment of females indicated the occurrence of both X. index and X. pachtaicum on the grapevine. The 28S D2D3 sequences shared more than 98.82% sequence similarity with GenBank references for X. pachtaicum and X. index. To our knowledge, this is the first report of X. index and X. pachtaicum infecting grapevine in Algeria.