Identificación de especies de Meloidogyne asociadas al cultivo de chile (Capsicum annuum L.) en el centro-norte de Sinaloa, México

Abstract

Root-knot nematodes are among the most damaging plant-parasitic pests in global agriculture. In Sinaloa, nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne cause yield losses of up to 25 % in various horticultural production systems. The objective of this study was to morphologically and molecularly identify the species of the genus Meloidogyne associated with crops of C. annuum var. mini bell and jalapeño in the municipalities of Sinaloa de Leyva and Guasave, respectively. To this end, roots were collected from plants of each pepper variety showing symptoms associated with root-knot nematodes. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of a mitochondrial DNA region between the COII and 16S genes, the species were identified as M. enterolobii in mini bell pepper and M. incognita in jalapeño. These results contribute to the implementation of phytosanitary management strategies for root-knot nematodes, aiming to optimize control and pepper production.