Species Diversity of Pin Nematodes (Paratylenchus spp.) from Potato Growing Regions of Southern Alberta, Canada

This article belongs to the Special Issue The Systematics, Morphological, and Molecular Characterization of Economically Important Plant–Parasitic Nematodes: A Themed Issue in Honor of Dr. Gary Bauchan.

Pin nematodes (Paratylenchus spp.) are polyphagous parasitic species with a wide host range and geographical distribution; their diversity is unknown in the potato growing region of Alberta, Canada. The present study aims to provide morphological and molecular characterization of three pin nematode species, namely P. neoprojectus, P. tateae, and a new species, Paratylenchus enigmaticus sp. nov. All of them were recovered from the potato growing region of southern Alberta. The nematodes were isolated using the sieving and flotation-centrifugation method, and their morphology was assessed by light microscopy. Molecular characterization was performed using partial 18S, D2–D3 expansion domains of the 28S and ITS ribosomal genes. This study is the first report of molecular characterization of P. tateae and P. neoprojectus, being new records from southern Alberta, and two Spanish populations of P. tateae comprising the first report of this species in Europe. The phylogenetic analysis of the 18S, D2–D3 expansion domains of the 28S and ITS ribosomal DNA regions underscores the importance of using molecular data for accurate species identification and clarifies the status of P. nanus type B and P. sheri. Moreover, our findings will be useful to determine the impact of pin nematodes on potato production in future field research.

This work was supported by the Potato Early Dying Complex project funded by the University of Lethbridge Research Operating Fund, and the Canadian Potato Early Dying Network project funded by the Canadian Agri-Science Cluster for Horticulture 3 grant to D.P.Y., in collaboration with the Potato Growers of Alberta, McCain Foods Canada Ltd., Cavendish Farms Corp. and Lamb Weston Inc.; and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, grant number “RTI2018-095925-A-I00” to P.C. and J.E.P.-R.

Peer reviewed