Globodera ellingtonae: a new potato cyst nematode
Globodera ellingtonae is a new cyst nematode which was described from Oregon (US) in 2012. A molecular diagnostic method has been developed to identify G. ellingtonae and differentiate it from other Globodera species. This new species was first found in soil samples collected in May 2008 at Powell Butte in Oregon, from a field in which potato (Solanum tuberosum) and other crops had been grown. In August/September 2008, G. ellingtonae was also detected in 2 agricultural fields in Idaho (Caribou and Teton counties) with unknown cropping history. The field host plant of G. ellingonae in Oregon and Idaho is still unknown. In 2014, G. ellingtonae was identified on roots of Andean potatoes collected from Northern Argentina (Salta region). During these studies, isolates of Globodera sp. from Antofagasta in Chile also showed a high degree of molecular similarity with the populations of G. ellingtonae from Argentina and the USA, suggesting that this nematode also occurs in Chile.
In the USA, eradication measures have been implemented in the infested fields. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that potato and tomato (S. lycopersicum) can be host plants of G. ellingtonae, but the pathogenicity of the nematode to both crops remains to be studied. It is generally recognized that surveys should be made to evaluate the distribution of this new potato cyst nematode and estimate the possible damage it may cause to cultivated plants.
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Handoo ZA, Carta LK, Skantar MA, Chitwood DJ (2012) Description of Globodera ellingtonae n.sp. (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) from Oregon. Journal of Nematology 44(1), 40-57.
Lax P, Rondan Dueñas JC, Franco-Ponce J, Gardenal CN, Doucet ME (2014) Morphology and DNA sequence data reveal the presence of Globodera ellingtonae in the Andean region. Contributions to Zoology 83(4), 227-243.
Skantar AM, Handoo ZA, Zasada IA, Ingham RE, Carta LK, Chitwood DJ (2011) Morphological and molecular characterization of Globodera populations from Oregon and Idaho. Phytopathology 101(4), 480-491.
Zasada IA, Peetz A, Wade N, Navarre AR, Ingham RE (2013) Host status of different potato (Solanum tuberosum) varieties and hatching in root diffusates of Globodera ellingtonae. Journal of Nematology 45(3), 195–201.