Nematodes Parasitic On Forest Trees I. Reproduction of Ectoparasites On Pines

Seedlings of nine species of pines native to the Southeast were grown in 20-cm pots in the greenhouse and inoculated with five different species of ectoparasitic nematodes. Population increase after 9 months indicated a positive host-parasite relationship for a given nematode-pine combination. Ring (Criconemoides xenoplax), sheath (Hemicycliophora vidua), spiral (Helicotylenchus dihystera), stunt (Tylenchorhynchus claytoni), and stubby-root (Trichodorus christiei) nematodes parasitized and reproduced on at least five of the species tested. Loblolly (Pinus taeda), sand (P. clausa), slash (P. elliottii var. elliottii), and shortleaf (P. echinata) pine were hosts for all five nematodes tested.