Estimation of the viability ofHeterodera schachtii field populations by measuring ATP,ADP and AMP contents of eggs and juveniles using HPLC

An HPLC method has been developed to determine adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in eggs and juveniles ofHeterodera schachtii in cysts extracted from soils. ATP levels in eggs and juveniles were highly correlated with the numbers of hatched juveniles in root diffusate (r=+0.92) in series of soil samples originating from field trials testing different doses of fumigant nematicides. The measured ATP concentrations in the cysts explained 59% of the sugar-yield reduction on these fields, which was similar to the value based on the hatching test. After fumigation, carried out in a laboratory experiment, ATP and the adenylate energy charge, (AEC=ATP + 0.5 * ADP)/(ATP + ADP + AMP), decreased greatly within a few days. In a series of greenhouse trials in whichH. schachtii had been parasitized severely byVerticillium clamydosporium and other antagonists, there were significant correlations between the numbers of hatched juveniles and the ATP content of the cysts (r=+0.85), and between the percentages of hatched juveniles and the AEC (r=+0.75). The HPLC method is faster than conventional methods and can be used to establish the viability ofH. schachtii field populations affected by soil fumigation or egg pathogens.