Plant-parasitic nematodes associated with highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) in the Pacific Northwest of North America

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are an important agricultural crop in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and coastal British Columbia of Canada. Three separate surveys were conducted to elucidate the occurrence and distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Plant-parasitic nematodes were detected in 73% of the surveyed blueberry fields. The two most commonly encountered plant-parasitic nematodes in all geographical locations surveyed were Paratrichodorus spp. and Pratylenchus spp. Xiphinema americanum was also detected during the surveys, but was geographically limited to southern Washington and the Willamette Valley of western Oregon. Five other plant-parasitic nematode genera/families were detected during the surveys, but never at high frequencies. © 2010 Crown Copyright.