Molecular characterization of the rice root nematode Hirschmanniella oryzae from Sukabumi, West Java Indonesia

Nematodes can inhibit the growth and development of rice by attacking various parts of the plant such as roots, leaves and flowers, causing the rice plants to become stunted, yellowing, and causing abnormalities in the roots so that the plants cannot grow well. The molecular characteristics of the H. oryzae nematode isolated from Sukabumi, West Java, have never been reported before, so this research needs to be carried out to confirm the identification results through morphological characteristics to avoid errors in determining control strategies. This research uses a purposive sampling method, namely selecting rice plants that show symptoms of yellowing, stunting and rotting in the root area. Rice is a food crop that can experience a decline in production if the rice is damaged by pests or plant damage. One of the rice plant diseases caused by nematodes, rice plants will become stunted, turn yellow, and even rot at the roots. The results of nucleotide sequencing showed that the homology of H. oryzae and 28S LSU rRNA fragments measuring about 750 bp were successfully amplified through PCR. The results the phylogenetic analysis showed that Hirschmanniella oryzae from Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia was in the same group as isolates from Myanmar, China, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Japan. However, it is closely related to the outgroup Aphelenchoides besseyi from Brazil.