Attraction of the pinewood nematode to mycelium of some wood-decay fungi

Migration of the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, to the mycelia of wood-decay fungi was investigated on water agar plates. A very strong ability to attract nematodes was shown by Pleurotus ostreatus, P. pulmonarius, P. eryngi, Lentinula edodes and Lampteromyces japonicus, all of which had been demonstrated to be nematophagous in previous studies. Other wood-decay fungi, Neolentinus lepideus, Trichaptum abietinum, Cryptoporus volvatus and Pholiota nameko, having less or no ability of killing nematodes, did not attract nematodes. Botrytis cinerea attracted nematodes although not as strongly as the nemtophagous wood-decay fungi. Based on the experimental results it could be concluded that nematophagous wood-decay fungi were attractive to the pinewood nematode.