Techniques and Procedures

A wide range of generic, specialised and innovative techniques, and procedures used by local nematologists for their research on nematodes (plant-parasitic and non-parasitic), are presented. Practical approaches to identify damage symptoms caused by plant-parasitic nematodes on crop plants as well as sampling and storing of nematode samples are described. Various methods used to extract nematodes from soil and plant tissues for counting and identification purposes, as well as the principles upon which they are based are detailed. Information on the preparation of nematode specimens for morphological and molecular identification is furthermore presented. The preparation of infected plant tissue and nematodes for electronmicroscopy is also described. In addition, methods to culture plant-parasitic and entomopathogenic nematodes, both in vitro and in vivo, are presented. Most of the techniques described in this chapter are used routinely in nematology. An inventory of the basic materials and infrastructure needed to set up and run a small nematology laboratory is included. A list of the main activities when dealing with nematode samples, from the labelling and preparation of incoming samples to the compilation of a concluding report, is also given.