Plant-parasitic nematodes of crops in Belize

Plant nematode surveys were made at 55 farm sites in six Districts of Belize, Central America, during February, November and December, 1993. Crops sampled included banana and plantain, cassava, citrus, coconut, cocoyam, corn, ginger, papaya, passion fruit, peanut, pigeon pea, pineapple, potato, rice, sugar cane, yam, and vegetables (beans, cabbage, carrot, cowpea, onion, peppers, tomato, okra, cucumber, pea, eggplant). Soil and root samples also were taken from primary forest soils. A total of 47 plant-parasitic nematode species were identified. Of these, the important crop pests found were the root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, and Meloidogyne sp., on vegetable and other crops; the root lesion nematodes, Pratylenchus brachyurus on a range of crops, P. coffeae on yams and plantain, P. zeae on rice and corn; the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, on banana and plantain, the led ring nematode, Rhadinaphelenchus cocophilus, on coconut; the reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis, on papaya, beans, cowpea and pigeon pea in particular; the citrus nematode, Tylenchulus semipenetrans on citrus; and some spiral nematodes especially Helicotylenchus multicinctus and H. mucronatus on a variety of crops. Many of the nematodes were widely distributed throughout Belize on different crops, although some were specific to certain hosts (e.g. R. cocophilus on coconut, Radopholus similis on banana and plantain, and T. semipenetrans on citrus).