First record of the spiral nematode, Helicotylenchus dihystera, infecting cotton roots in Australia

Abstract

Plant parasitic nematodes are serious pathogens of cotton worldwide and have potential to increase the severity of vascular wilts. In Australia, disease caused by nematodes has not been reported in cotton and the potential for interaction between nematodes and vascular wilts has not been investigated. We briefly investigated whether or not plant pathogenic nematodes were associated with cotton crops in the Namoi Valley of NSW, including plants with severe symptoms of Verticillium wilt