Abstract Pistachio is one of the most economically important horticultural crops worldwide, and its yield is annually reduced due to damages caused by root-knot nematodes (RKNs). To identify the species of RKNs associated with pistachio trees in Kerman and Khorasan Razavi provinces of Iran, 84 localities were investigated and 37 isolates of the predominant species, Meloidogyne javanica , were identified based on the perineal pattern of females and species-specific primers Fjav and Rjav. Eight isolates (KS1-1, KS1-10, KN7-1, KR3-1, KR8-1, KSh1-1, KhF1-4, and KhF2-1) were further characterized using morphological, morphometric, and molecular data (Small subunit SSU rDNA, COII-16S , and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 Nad5 mtDNA sequences). The SSU sequences of these eight isolates showed over 98% identity with several sequences of tropical Meloidogyne species. The COII-16S and Nad5 sequences displayed 99.63 and 100% identity with other available M. javanica sequences, respectively. This study provided, for the first time, comprehensive morphometric, molecular, and geographical distribution data of M. javanica isolates parasitizing pistachio in two main pistachio-producing provinces of Iran. Based on the results of this research, the prevalence of M. javanica in the pistachio orchards of the studied regions was 44.04%, indicating its widespread distribution. Rafsanjan in Kerman province and Mahvelat in Khorasan Razavi province were two highly infested cities based on the present study. Therefore, regular monitoring is essential for effective management of this pest.
Mahoonaki et al. (Thu,) studied this question.