Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Nematology

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

Potato production in East Africa is seriously impacted by the potato cyst nematode (PCN), Globodera rostochiensis, where it has been recorded in at least three countries. In Kenya, it is widespread in all major potato-growing regions, often at very high densities. Consecutive cropping of potato on the same land and a sub-tropical climate have influenced PCN biology. For example, unusually large cysts have been regularly recovered. We have analysed the biological properties of these ‘giant cysts’. The giant cysts contained more eggs than those recovered from UK fields. Egg size did not differ from UK populations and there was no difference in overall lipid content or lipid profile in J2 from giant cysts, compared to control samples. The nematodes in giant cysts were also genetically indistinguishable from any other G. rostochiensis sampled. When grown under UK glasshouse conditions, the offspring of nematodes from giant cysts were no different in size from those grown from control cysts, indicating that gigantism is not a heritable trait and may simply reflect favourable conditions for PCN under Kenyan farming systems. To date, all the PCN tested from Kenya, including those from giant cysts, are avirulent on potato cultivars containing the H1 resistance gene.

Keywords

cyst biology, cyst DNA, cyst heritability, East Africa, nematode egg size, potato

Funding Statement

This work was supported by Innovate UK project 105653 (RESOLVE), a Royal Society of Biology summer undergraduate project funded by AAB to KH and an SFC ODA GCRF Award via the University of St Andrews to JTJ. The James Hutton Institute receives funding from the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government. The authors thank Anne Holt, Ailsa Smith and Ola Okpo for technical support. We are grateful to icipe and IITA staff at Nairobi campus for their support and to the CGIAR Research Program for Roots, Tubers and Bananas at IITA.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.