Plant-feeding nematodes associated with Miscanthus × giganteus and their use as potential indicators of the plantations’ state

The commercial production of M. × giganteus for bioenergy and lignocellulose products requests research on plant-parasitic nematodes which can cause serious crop yield losses when the crop is cultivated long-term in big plantations at the different environmental conditions and geographical locations. The occurrence of M. × giganteus plant-feeding nematodes and temporal-spatial aspects of distribution were studied in 2016–2017 at the crop established stands of 1–10 years of age representing, consequently, 8 locations and 6 soil types in Ukraine and 9 localities and 8 soil types in Poland. Fifty-three plant-feeding nematodes of belonging to 22 genera and 10 families were identified, including plant-parasitic species which populations in several locations exceeded the estimated damage threshold. The distribution of nematode species was evaluated by applying the non-metric multidimensional scaling approach indicated spatial heterogeneity of sampling points and community dynamics. The relationships among the hyphal and root hair feeders, semiendoparasites and ectoparasites were characterized, and these groups were proposed as indicators for assessing the state of M. × giganteus plantations with different years of cultivation. Obtained results can be applied for improvement of M. × giganteus production technologies to prevent the risk of biomass yield reduction posing by plant-parasitic nematodes in temporal regions of East-Central Europe. Further study is needed to develop nematode-based biological monitoring of perennial grassland to enhance the sustainability of bioenergy systems.