Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Nematology
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
In order to determine the threat that plant-parasitic nematodes pose to crop production, it is essential to establish an accurate estimation of their presence. The extraction efficiency from soil, therefore, is a critical step in establishing disease pressures presented by nematodes or the conditions of soil health. To achieve high nematode extraction efficiency, various methods and modifications have been developed over time (Oostenbrink, 1954; Seinhorst, 1956; Harrison & Green, 1976; Viaene et al., 2021) with variations being introduced locally, depending on the availability or access to certain materials. The simple extraction method was conceived and introduced by Baermann (1917), with a series of modifications made since to improve nematode recovery rate or adapt it to local conditions (Oostenbrink, 1954; Whitehead & Hemming, 1965; Rodríguez-Kábana & Pope, 1981; Coyne et al., 2007). Currently, it is among the most common extraction methods used. However, the nature of locally available or custom-made equipment for this method allows for great variations in extraction efficiency (Cesarz et al., 2019). The objective of the current study was to evaluate the plate method in our NemAfrica laboratory in Kenya. This is in part to determine a replicable and comparable protocol that we can use confidently and consistently across our experiments, and in part to enable the determination of a protocol that can be recommended across similar laboratory conditions. Considering size and motility variability between nematode genera, extraction efficiency also depends on the nematode genus (Verschoor & de Goede, 2000). For the purpose of the study we used Radopholus similis as a species with both male and female adults, both of which are motile, and to which we had access from in vitro cultures. The experiment evaluated four key variable factors that may potentially affect extraction efficiency of R. similis, in a randomised complete block design with four replications and conducted three times. The four factors include: soil type (red ferralitic soil and sand), tap water volume (200 and 400 ml), soil quantity (50 and 100 ml) and filter types (19-cm-diam. milk filter (GD Textile Manufacturing), two-ply Kleenex facial tissue (Kim-Fay) and two-ply Velvex kitchen paper towel (Chandaria Industries)). The experimental unit was an individual modified Baermann plate receiving either one of the 24 treatment combinations of the four factors. Each experiment consisted of 96 samples in total.
Keywords
burrowing nematode, nematode extraction technique, nematode recovery rate
Recommended Citation
Saikai, K., Wanjala, S., Oduori, C., & Coyne, D. (2021). Revisiting the modified Baermann extraction method: Extraction efficiency of Radopholus similis using different extraction materials. Nematology, 23 (10), 1215-1218. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685411-bja10130
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.