This study was conducted to identify races of wheat seed gall nematode Anguina tritici by using molecular identification for this nematode species parasitized on durum and bread wheat cultivars. Wheat seed galls of both cultivars were collected from two cities, Erbil and Duhok, from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq respectively. DNA was extracted from both nematode isolates (populations), and then PCR reactions were performed with Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region using primers TW81/AB28 with 2 µl of template DNA of A. tritici for both nematode isolates on both wheat cultivars. The bands of both amplification products of PCR reactions were visualized in position about 800 bp on agarose gel, which indicates that both isolates of A. tritici belong to the same race. On the other hand, no nucleotide differences were observed between the two nematode isolations, as revealed by the sequence alignment of DNA of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and phylogenetic tree, which emphasizes at the same time that both nematode isolates are of the same genetic structure or have the same identity and confirms their belonging to the same nematode race.

A survey was performed in four locations of Semel District – as follows: Sartenk, Qesir yazdin, Sharia, and Grshin (Bawerde) – by selecting 4 greenhouses planted with cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) on each location, during both growing seasons (spring and autumn) of the year 2015. The results showed that the incidence of root-knot disease increased to its maximum level (37.48%) in the autumn season and then decreased to its minimum level (34.67%) in the spring season. According to the surveyed locations, the highest disease incidence (73.05%) was recorded in Sartenk location and the lowest (13.54%) in Sharia location. Results of the interaction between the locations and seasons revealed that the highest disease incidence (80.5%) appeared in Sartenk location during the autumn growing season followed by 65.60% in the same location during the spring growing season, whereas the lowest percentage was reported in Sharia during the spring season (3.47%). Depending on the perineal patterns for species identification of Meloidogyne spp. on cucumber plants, results showed the presence of Meloidogyne javanica in all surveyed locations. Generally, in one of the greenhouses of Sartenk location, the population density of M. javanica reached its maximum level (1,762 nematodes/200 gm soil) in September 2015, while the minimum level (337.5 nematodes/200 gm soil) was recorded in May the same year.

Aphelenchus avenae was isolated from the wheat crown in Summel distract-Duhok, Kurdistan region-Iraq infected by a crown rot disease which is caused by Fusarium spp; wheat's crown culturing on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and incubating at 25°C A. avenae was found associated with fungal culture which meant that fungal nematode was parasitic on crown rot fungi on wheat crown, this species was described for the first time in Iraq. Fungal Nematode incubated with Fusarium graminearum, F. oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae reproduce in both solid and liquid media, best results of nematode reproduction were recorded on F. graminearum followed by F. oxysporum and V. dahlia respectively. The nematode A. avenae did not reproduce on the liquid media of these fungi.

A survey of silos of Duhok province which involved silo of Zakho, Faydeyi, Shekhan in 2010 and 2011

No abstract