Enzyme phenotypes of Meloidogyne spp. populations

Enzyme phenotypes, specifically esterases (EST), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) were used to characterise different species of Meloidogyne, mostly from Brazil and from some American countries. Esterase activity was highly polymorphic and was the most useful in the identification of the different species. Using this enzyme it is possible to characterise and identify the four major species: M. javanica, M. incognita, M. arenaria and M. hapla from a large collection of 111 populations of Meloidogyne.,le spp. Another seven less common species (M. coffeicola, M. paranensis, M. konaensis, M. exigua, M, graminicola, M. oryzae, M. mayaguensis), with only one or a few populations of each, were studied and exhibited species-specific EST phenotypes. The two enzymes (EST and MDH) differentiated M. graminicola and M. oryzae. It was possible to detect atypical (unidentified) phenotypes: three fr om Brazil, one from the USA and another from Chile. The minor bands of esterase profits provided information to detect intraspecific variability among some populations of M, incognita and six populations of M. exigua. Profiles of MDH permitted separation of two isolates of M. javanica a from Brazil.