MELOIDOGYNE CHITWOODI AND M. FALLAX IN BELGIUM

During a Meloidogyne survey in Belgium a total of 2877 soil and root samples were taken. Rootknot nematodes were found in 9.2% of the samples. The species were identified according to morphological, morphometrical, biochemical, and molecular characters. Ten percent of the positive samples contained M. cbitwoodi and/or M.fallax. Among the enzymes used, only Tru 91 clearly separated M. cbitwoodi, M.fallax and M. bapla from each other. RAPD was used to examine the molecular diversity between the populations. The tree constructed on the basis of the RAPD patterns grouped the populations according to the species. It revealed considerable intraspecific variation supporting the idea that M. cbitwoodi and M. fallax have been present in Belgium for a long time.