Observation of Tylenchorhynchus ewingi in association with cotton soils in Australia

We report for the first time the recovery of the plant parasitic nematode Tylenchorhynchus ewingi Hooper 1959 from field soils used to grow irrigated cotton (Gossipium hirsutum) in New South Wales, Australia. The observation was made while investigating the possible existence of an association between nematodes and Verticillium wilt of cotton. No interaction was evident between nematode population sizes, species composition or the number of nematodes in cotton roots and the severity of Verticillium wilt. The samples collected over the course of the investigation contained few plant parasitic nematodes. Although the plant parasitic nematode population was small it was comprised almost entirely of the stunt nematode, Tylenchorhynchus ewingi. This is the first observation of this nematode in an Australian cotton production system.