1Department of Bio-Sciences, H.P. University, Shimla-171 005, India.
2Department of Nematology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004, India.
A survey was carried out in six districts of Himachal Pradesh for investigating and identifying plant parasitic nematodes associated with chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) nurseries and pine trees (Pinus roxburghii Sarg. and P. wallichiana A. B. Jacks) in natural forests. Twenty one species of nematode parasites belonging to fifteen genera were encountered associated with rhizosphere of P. roxburghii and P. wallichiana. Xiphinema americanum was found to be the most predominant species based on prominence value followed by X. insigne, Paratylenchus similis, Hemicriconemoides mangiferae and Varotylus symmetricus in close association with natural pine forest. Tylenchus arcuatus and Malenchus nanellus were recorded as predominant species in the nurseries.
Prominence value, Xiphinema americanum, X. insigne, Hemicriconemoides mangiferae, Pinus roxburghii, Pinus wallichiana