Influence of different compositae on population density ofPratylenchus penetrans and some other root-infesting nematodes

Field and pot experiments with over 35 different Compositae, mainly perennial and annual flower crops, show thatHelenium hybrids,Gaillardia hybrid ‘Burgunder’ andEriophyllum caespitosum, in addition toTagetes patula ‘Harmony’, suppress populations ofPratylenchus penetrans very effectively. In other genera of Compositae species also occur which are poor hosts ofP. penetrans, although their suppressive action is generally significantly less marked than that of the species mentioned. Within the same plant genus considerable differences in host suitability were found. These results may prove to be useful in providing indications as to the most suitable sequence of crops for the control ofP. penetrans in nurseries of perennial crops, parks and gardens. Some data collected on host suitability of Compositae toRotylenchus robustus andTylenchorhynchus dubius show differences, though less marked than those relating toP. penetrans.     

Screening for Antifungal Potential of Plant Extracts of Fifteen Plant Species Against Four Pathogenic Fungi Species

The antifungal activity of fifteen wild plant species grown in the Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, was investigated against the fungi species Fusarium solani, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata and Stemphylium botryosum at concentrations of 10, 20, 40 and 80?g/L. The inhibitory effect of test extracts varied among examined fungi, and Fusarium solani exhibited the least sensitivity compared to other fungi species. Antifungal activity of the tested extracts was proportional to the applied dose. Extracts of Lactuca virosa, Neurada procumbens, Ochradenus baccatus and Cyperus conglomerates showed relatively low inhibition effects on the fungi species. The most effective plants were Pulicaria undulata, Artemisia monosperma, Prosopis juliflora, Withania somnifera and Rumex vesicarius. At 80?g/L, extracts of these plant species reduced mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea by 16.5–32.2%, of Fusarium solani by 11.1–27.9%, of Alternaria alternaae by 26.9–63.5% and of Stemphylium botryosum by 22–40%. The methanolic extract of the most effective plant species was further fractioned with hexane, methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. The obtained fractions varied in their effects on mycelial growth of the four tested fungi. Using the same fraction resulted in different inhibition effects on mycelial growth of all tested fungi. The antifungal activity of each crude extract tended to be distributed among its three fractions, probably because the bioactive components were also distributed among the fractions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dittrichia viscosa</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rubus ulmifolius</Emphasis> as reservoirs of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and the role of certain Coccinellid species

The role of the self-sown shrubsDittrichia viscosa (L.) W. Greuter andRubus ulmifolius Schott as reservoirs of aphid parasitoids was investigated. In the field studies conducted,D. viscosa grew adjacent to crops of durum wheat and barley andR. ulmifolius grew adjacent to cotton. The relative abundance of the parasitoids of(a) Capitophorus inulae (Passerini) onD. viscosa, (b) Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) on durum wheat and barley,(c) Aphis ruborum (Börner) onR. ulmifolius, and(d) Aphis gossypii Glover on cotton in various parts of Greece, was assessed during the years 1996–2000. In 2000, the fluctuation of parasitization of the above four aphid species was recorded and the action of the aphidophagous predators of the family Coccinellidae was studied. It was observed thatAphidius matricariae Haliday predominated onC. inulae andR. padi in all sampling cases. In contrast,Lysiphlebus fabarum (Marshall) was the dominant species parasitizingA. ruborum onR. ulmifolius andA. gossypii on cotton in Thessaly (central Greece) and Macedonia (northern Greece), whereasLysiphlebus confusus Tremblay et Eady andBinodoxys acalephae (Marshall) were the dominant parasitoid species in Thrace (northern Greece).Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus was the most abundant coccinellid species on durum wheat, whereasAdonia variegata (Goeze) predominated on cotton. However, coccinellid individuals were scarce on bothD. viscosa andR. ulmifolius. The present study indicated that these two shrubs can be regarded as useful reservoirs of aphid parasitoids.     

Alien species of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) found in Serbia,new to the Balkan Peninsula

New alien species of aphids (Illinoia liriodendri (Monell), Wahlgreniella nervata (Gillete), Takecallis arundicolens (Clarke) and Tinocallis takachihoensis Higuchi) have been found for the first time in Serbia. These records are new for the Balkan Peninsula. Data of Ericaphis scammelli (Mason), species recently mentioned in Serbia, are also presented in the text. The species have been found during the last five years at four sites (Belgrade, Zemun, Mladenovac and Bojnik) on five cultivated plants. Ericaphis scammelli is a pest of blueberry and a vector of Blueberry scorch virus. The other four develop colonies on decorative plants: I. liriodendri has been found on Liriodendron tulipifera, W. nervata on Rosa sp., T. arundicolens on Pseudosasa japonica and T. takachihoensis on Ulmus x hollandica. The origin of three of the species (E. scammelli, I. liriodendri and W. nervata) is North America and two (T. arundicolens and T. takachihoensis) have come from East Asia. Their morphology, biology and the damage they inflict are discussed here, as well as their potential economic and environmental threat. Only parthenogenetic viviparous females of all 5 species have been collected. Their biology has not been studied enough in Europe and needs further examination. Original drawings of all species are presented.     

Diversity and potential impact of Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> plantations in Portugal

Eucalyptus globulus, a non-native species, is currently the most abundant forest species in Portugal. This economically important forest tree is exploited mainly for the production of pulp for the paper industry. The community of Botryosphaeriaceae species occurring on diseased and healthy E. globulus trees was studied on plantations throughout the country. Nine species from three different genera were identified, namely Botryosphaeria (B. dothidea), Diplodia (D. corticola and D. seriata) and Neofusicoccum (N. australe, N. algeriense, N. eucalyptorum, N. kwambonambiense, N. parvum and Neofusicoccum sp.). Of these, N. algeriense, D. corticola and D. seriata are reported for the first time on E. globulus, while N. algeriense, N. eucalyptorum and N. kwambonambiense correspond to first reports in Portugal. The genus Neofusicoccum was clearly dominant with N. australe and N. eucalyptorum being the most abundant species on both diseased and healthy trees. In artificial inoculation trials representative isolates from all nine species were shown to be pathogenic to E. globulus but there were marked differences in aggressiveness between them. Thus, D. corticola and N. kwambonambiense were the most aggressive while B. dothidea and D. seriata were the least aggressive of the species studied.     

Disease resistance in Vicia faba and Phaseolus vulgaris

Droplets of spore suspensions of each of four isolates ofBotrytis cinerea but not those of each of four isolates ofB. fabae proved to contain an antifungal compound 24 h after application on pod tissue ofVicia faba. Partial inhibition of germ-tube growth of three highly pathogenic isolates ofB. fabae was caused at 2.5 times the concentration of inhibitor needed to cause similar inhibition of each isolate ofB. cinerea and a weakly pathogenic isolate ofB. fabae. After extraction, concentration and chromatographic separation, 5–10 times more inhibitor was obtained from lesions in pods caused byB. cinerea than from those caused byB. fabae. However, the amounts of inhibitor extracted from whole leaves bearing either large lesions caused byB. fabae or small lesions caused byB. cinerea were almost the same. It is suggested that infection by either fungus induces inhibitor formation, but thatB. fabae metabolizes the inhibitor to an inactive form.No relation was found between amounts of an inhibitor produced in droplets of spore suspensions 24 h after application on pods of differential varieties ofPhaseolus vulgaris and the disease reactions caused by races ofColletotrichum lindemuthianum. Each race appeared to have a similar sensitivity to the inhibitor. Anatomical studies showed that only superficial growth of germ-tubes occurred in seed cavities in the first two days, after which penetration took place. Resistant or susceptible reactions were distinguished after 6 days in young pods, and even later in old pods. Before rejecting the hypothesis that the inhibitor may have a role in the mechanism of disease resistance, amounts of inhibitor in and around infection sites on leaves or stems should be measured. Apparent protection of leaf areas against infection was caused by prior inoculation with a race which was avirulent on the leaf. This phenomenon is consistent with the action of an inhibitor of the type found in pod tissues, but could be caused by reactions as yet unknown.     

The potential of entomopathogenic fungi to control the lettuce root aphid,<Emphasis Type="Italic">pemphigus bursarius</Emphasis>

The lettuce root aphid,Pemphigus bursarius, is a commercially important pest of lettuce and occupies a niche amenable to the action of entomopathogenic fungi. As the first stage of a biological control programme, a bioassay was developed against adult apterousP. bursarius. An isolate ofMetarhizium flavoviride was pathogenic toP. bursarius and sporulated abundantly upon aphid cadavers. However, two isolates ofVerticillium lecanii, pathogenic against glasshouse whitefly and aphids, were only weakly pathogenic toP. bursarius.     

Parasitoids of European species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yponomeuta</Emphasis> Latreille 1796 (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae): new findings with an updated checklist

The species of the genus Yponomeuta Latreille (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) are known as ermine moths and can be found on various host plant species, sometimes appearing as pests. They are attacked by a wide range of parasitoids. We studied parasitoid complexes of several communities in Austria, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Sweden during 2014–2018. From four species, Yponomeuta cagnagella (Hübner), Yponomeuta evonymella (Linnaeus), Yponomeuta malinellus Zeller and Yponomeuta padella (Linnaeus), we reared 15 parasitoid species of seven hymenopteran and one dipteran family. In this study, the family Ichneumonidae is the most numerous, while Ageniaspis fuscicollis (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was found in all four Yponomeuta species. Within reared parasitoids, A. fuscicollis is new record for Slovenia and Austria, Baryscapus evonymellae (Bouché) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Diadegma armillatum (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) are new records for Slovenia and Agrypon canaliculatum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Dolichogenidea dilecta (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Elasmus steffani Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), Herpestomus brunnicornis (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Trieces tricarinatus (Holmgren) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Mesochorus nuncupator (Panzer) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) are new records for Serbia. Also, Yponomeuta cagnagella is a new host record for Pteromalus semotus (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Y. padella for E. steffani. Finally, we reviewed parasitoids of European Yponomeuta species and their associated host plants. In total 154 species are recorded from nine hymenopteran and one dipteran family.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the family Eulophidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Turkey,with some new records

Data are presented on the occurrence of 51 species of the family Eulophidae in Turkey based on material obtained mainly from grass and leaves with leaf miners. The paper combines the faunistic and distributional data obtained from recent studies with all other species of the family known from Turkey up to now. The recorded genera (with the number of recorded species) are:Aprostocetus Westwood (20),Baryscapus Förster (8),Cirrospilus Westwood (2),Diglyphus Walker (5),Hyssopus Girault (2),Euplectrus Westwood (1),Hemiptarsenus Westwood (3),Necremnus Thomson (3),Pnigalio Schrank (2),Pronotalia Gradwell (1) andSympiesis Förster (4). Twenty-eight species are reported for the first time in the Turkish fauna.     

Molecular characterization and pathogenicity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternaria</Emphasis> species on wheat and date palms in Oman

This study was conducted to investigate the Alternaria species associated with leaf spot of date palm and wheat in Oman. Out of 98 date palm leaf samples and 146 wheat leaf samples, Alternaria was isolated from 27 and 23% of the samples developing leaf spot symptoms, respectively. Identification of Alternaria isolates using sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA (ITS rRNA), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), translation elongation factor (TEF) and RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) genes, showed that the isolates belong to seven Alternaria species or species complexes. A. burnsii - A. tomato and A. arborescens species complexes (58 and 4%, respectively) and A. alternata (38%) were the species recovered from the symptomatic date palm leaves. A. alternata (67%), A. burnsii - A. tomato species complex (15%), A. jacinthicola (3%), A. ventricosa (3%), A. slovaca (6%) and Alternaria caespitosa (6%) were isolated from wheat. Pathogenicity test showed that tested isolates of A. alternata (DPM19, WDK12), A. burnsii - A. tomato species complex (DPM31), A. jacinthicola (WBR4) and A. slovaca (WDK9, WDK7) were pathogenic on date palm, while A. alternata (DPM19, WDK12), A. burnsii - A. tomato species complex (DPM31, WDK11) and A. slovaca (WDK9, WDK7) were pathogenic on wheat. This is the first report of date palm and wheat as new hosts for A. burnsii - A. tomato species complex and the first reports of A. burnsii - A. tomato species complex, A. caespitosa A. slovaca, and A. ventricosa in Oman. The study shows that several species of Alternaria are associated with leaf spot in date palm and wheat in Oman, with some isolates having the ability to cause infection in both hosts.     

Effects of triazole fungicides on sterol biosynthesis during spore germination of Botrytis cinerea,Venturia inaequalis and Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici

With three plant pathogens,Botrytis cinerea, Venturia inaequalis and Puccinia graminis f. sp.tritici, the time course of sterol biosynthesis during spore germination was examined by labeling experiments along with the question whether this pathway could be inhibited by triazole fungicides. Conidia ofB. cinerea andV. inaequalis are able to synthesize sterols immediately after the beginning of the germination process when the germ tubes have not yet emerged. On the contrary uredospores ofP. graminis start sterol biosynthesis after 6 to 8 h germination time almost at the end of the germ tube phase, indicating that sterol reserves of the spores are likely to be used for the germ tube growth.The sterol C-14 demethylation appeared to be the rate limiting step within the sterol biosynthetic pathway: the half life of 24-methylenedihydrolanosterol was less than 1 h forB. cinerea. It was more than 1 h forV. inaequalis and 3 h forP. graminis. Independent of these differences in the time course of sterol biosynthesis and in the C-14 demethylation rate, the synthesis of sterols in germinating spores was strongly inhibited by triazole fungicides in all three pathogens examined. In contrast toP. graminis, this inhibition could be demonstrated withB. cinerea andV. inaequalis even in ungerminated conidia, indicating that the fungicides were rapidly taken up and reached their target within 1 or 2 h. These results are discussed along with the question whether spore germination can be used as a bioassay for the estimation of sensitivities of triazole fungicides.     

Foliar diseases of willows (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix</Emphasis> spp.) in selected locations of the Karkonosze Mts. (the Giant Mts)

The species of Salix herbacea L. and Salix lapponum L. are the rare relicts within the genus of Salix. With respect to their phylogeography, they are classified into the taxa of the Arctic-Alpine distribution. They can be found in the Arctic zone (Greenland, Scandinavia, Spitsbergen) as well as in such geographically separated areas as the mountains of lower latitudes like the Alps, the Sudetes or the Carpathians. Another species of willow occurring in the mountains of Europe, and more specifically on montane positions of the Balkan-Carpathian distribution is S. silesiaca. The aim of the study was to determine the severity of the diseases of the willows growing in selected locations in the Karkonosze Mountains. The research was conducted in the years 2014 and 2015 in the Kocio? ?omniczki [the ?omniczka Cirque] and the Wielki and Ma?y ?nie?ny Kocio?, [the Great and Small Snowy Cirques] at intervals of 4 weeks, from April to October. Field observations included the species of the genera Salix: S. herbacea, S. silesiaca and S. lapponum. Disease symptoms were identified with the percentage of infected plants at selected locations, as well as the percentage of infected leaves, recorded. In the course of the research, symptoms of rust caused by Melampsora epitea and M. alpina (S. herbacea and S. silesiaca), black spot blight caused by Rhytisma salicinum (S. silesiaca) and leaf spot, probably caused by a complex of fungal taxa (S. herbacea), were detected on the leaves of Salix spp. growing in post glacial cirques. During the study period, there were no disease symptoms on S. lapponum. A total of 13 species of fungi were isolated from the infected leaves of S. herbacea. In the first year, the highest share in the fungal assembly was taken by Penicillium notatum, followed by Alternaria alternata and an unidentified species of the genus Ceuthospora. In the second year of the research, Ceuthospora spp. and A. alternata predominated in the species assembly of fungi in the infected leaves of the herb willow.     

A new species and observations on the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ramularia</Emphasis> from Iran

Ramularia ranunculicola sp. nov. (Mycosphaerellaceae) is described from Iran on Ranunculus muricatus and compared with other species reported on Ranunculus spp. Ramularia carletonii on Lactuca tuberosa and R. nagornyi on Centaurea solstitialis are newly reported from Iran, and Picris strigosa is a new host for R. picridis (= R. inaequalis s. lat.).     

Stimulating<Emphasis Type="Italic">Orobanche ramosa</Emphasis> seed germination with an<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascophyllum nodosum</Emphasis> extract

Algit Super®, an extract ofAscophyllum nodosum, was found to be an effective stimulant for the germination ofOrobanche ramosa seeds. The biological activity of Algit Super® was tested at a wide range of concentrations from 2.5 v/v to 1.2 × 10^?3 v/v. The seed germination in all studiedO. ramosa populations showed a concentration dependence, with an inhibitory effect at higher concentrations. The response ofO. ramosa to Algit Super® resembled its response to the reference stimulant GR24. VariousO. ramosa populations demonstrated differential response to the stimulant.     

Identification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> species associated with soybean root rot in Sichuan Province,China

Soybean root rot is a worldwide soil-borne fungal disease threatening soybean production, causing large loss in yield and quality of soybean. Fusarium species are well recognized as the important causal agent of Fusarium root rot, which are often distinct with respect to various factors in different soybean-producing regions around the world. Recently, Fusarium root rot has been frequently reported in Sichuan Province of China, where is unique in its climate and diverse cropping patterns, but it is still unclear about the predominant Fusarium species and their pathogenicity on soybean. In this study, diseased soybean roots were collected from three regions of Sichuan Province during 2014–2015. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region and the translation elongation factor 1-α gene, 78 isolates of Fusarium were identified as nine distinct species. Pathogenicity tests showed that seven species of Fusarium were able to infect soybean, but differed in pathogenicity. F. oxysporum, F. equiseti and F. graminearum were the most aggressive species to soybean, whereas F. fujikuroi and F. verticillioides were not pathogenic to soybean. There was a strong positive correlation of the pathogenicity of Fusarium species with seedling emergence and fresh root weight. In addition, the diversity of Fusarium species varied among soybean-growing regions. To our knowledge, this report on population and pathogenicity of Fusarium species, in particular, F. graminearum, associated with soybean root rot in Sichuan Province of southwest China, will be helpful to provide effective control strategies for the disease.     

Morphological and molecular characterisation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ditylenchus stenurus</Emphasis> n. sp. (Nematoda: Anguinidae) from western Iran

A new species in the genus Ditylenchus, D. stenurus n. sp. collected from western Iran, is described and illustrated herein based on morphological and molecular studies. The new species is characterised by a body length of 772 (663–863) μm, delicate stylet 6 (5–7) μm long, six lines in the lateral field. Median bulb of pharynx well-developed, muscular with crescentic valve. Post-vulval uterine sac well-developed, 35 (30–45) μm long, female tail elongate-conoid, becoming narrow suddenly with finely rounded terminus. The new species comes close in morphology and morphometrics to five known species of the genus, namely D. arachis, D. caudatus, D. clarus, D. myceliophagus, and D. nanus. DNA sequencing data was obtained on the partial 18S, D2/D3 expansion segments of the 28S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The phylogenetic relationships of this species with other Ditylenchus spp. using partial 18S–rDNA and D2/D3 indicated that D. stenurus n. sp. clustered together with several species belongs to the D. triformis-group i. e. D. africanus, D. destructor and D. halictus: all sharing a rounded tail terminus and six lines in lateral fields.     

Identity and pathogenicity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> species associated with crown rot on wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum</Emphasis> spp.) in Turkey

An extensive survey was carried out to collect Fusarium species colonizing the lower stems (crowns) of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (T. durum Desf.) from different wheat growing regions of Turkey in summer 2013. Samples were collected from 200 fields representing the major wheat cultivation areas in Turkey, and fungi were isolated from symptomatic crowns. The isolates were identified to species level by sequencing the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) gene region using primers ef1 and ef2. A total of 339 isolates representing 17 Fusarium species were isolated. The isolates were identified as F. culmorum, F. pseudograminearum, F. graminearum, F. equiseti, F. acuminatum, F. brachygibbosum, F. hostae, F. redolens, F. avenaceum, F. oxysporum, F. torulosum, F. proliferatum, F. flocciferum, F. solani, F. incarnatum, F. tricinctum and F. reticulatum. Fusarium equiseti was the most commonly isolated species, accounting for 36% of the total Fusarium species isolated. Among the damaging species, F. culmorum was the predominant species being isolated from 13.6% of sites surveyed while F. pseudograminearum and F. graminearum were isolated only from 1% and 0.5% of surveyed sites, respectively. Six out of the 17 Fusarium species tested for pathogenicity caused crown rot with different levels of severity. Fusarium culmorum, F. pseudograminearum and F. graminearum caused severe crown rot disease on durum wheat. Fusarium avenaceum and F. hostae were weakly to moderately virulent. Fusarium redolens was weakly virulent. However, F. oxysporum, F. equiseti, F. solani, F. incarnatum, F. reticulatum, F. flocciferum, F. tricinctum, F. brachygibbosum, F. torulosum, F. acuminatum and F. proliferatum were non-pathogenic. The result of this study reveal the existence of a wide range of Fusarium species associated with crown rot of wheat in Turkey.     

Presence of less-preferred hosts of the aphid parasitoids <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphidius ervi</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Praon volucre</Emphasis> reduces parasitism efficiency

Parasitoids are characterized by a defined range of hosts, either more specialist or generalist. Under natural conditions, females may encounter different host species on the same plant or in the same location. In this case, their preference for one host could influence their choice. However, the presence of less suitable hosts may also affect their choice and, in some cases, may reduce their interest in a patch where both preferred and less preferred hosts are available. The aim of the present study was to test the consequences of the simultaneous presence of three cereal aphids (Sitobion avenae Fabricius, Metopolophium dirhodum Walker, and Rhopalosiphum padi Linnaeus) on the parasitism by two of their parasitoids, Aphidius ervi Haliday and Praon volucre Haliday. Firstly, in the no-choice experiment, A. ervi parasitized on S. avenae at a significantly higher rate as compared to M. dirhodum, whereas no parasitism on R. padi was observed. P. volucre parasitized the three species of cereal aphids with a significant preference for S. avenae. Interestingly, when two or three host species were offered simultaneously in the same quantity to pairs of parasitoids, the level of parasitism was less than that observed for one host species alone. This observation exhibits a distractive effect on non-host species, from the defense mechanism of a non-suitable host or from the perception of bad quality patches. These results raise the question of the practical application of inundative release of parasitoids for biocontrol when several hosts are available simultaneously.     

Integrative identification and molecular phylogeny of dagger and needle nematodes associated with cultivated olive in Tunisia

The occurrence and geographic distribution of longidorid nematode species inhabiting the rhizosphere of cultivated olive (cvs. Chemlali and Chétoui) in Tunisia were investigated. Morphological and morphometrical studies identified three Longidorus and six Xiphinema species, with frequencies of prevalence as following: Longidorus africanus (23.0 %), L. euonymus (4.5 %), L. glycines (13.7 %), Xiphinema conurum (13.7 %), X. italiae (36.4 %), X. meridianum (13.7 %), X. pachtaicum (18.2 %), X. robbinsi (9.1 %), and Xiphinema sp. (4.5 %). The three Longidorus species were reported for the first time in Tunisia, in addition to two species of Xiphinema (viz. X. meridianum and X. robbinsi). Molecular characterisation using D2-D3 expansion regions of 28S rRNA and ITS1-rRNA was carried out and Bayesian inference analysis was used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among these species and with other longidorids. Twenty-five new D2-D3 of 28S rRNA gene sequences were obtained in the present study, seven for Longidorus and 18 for Xiphinema spp., as well as 14 new ITS1 rRNA gene sequences (seven for Longidorus and seven for Xiphinema spp.).