Infection of Pratylenchus coffeae RFLP Phenotype-A on Chinese Yam, Dioscorea polystachya in Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

We found an infection of Pratylenchus coffeae RFLP phenotype-A nematodes on Chinese yam, Dioscorea polystachya, in 2018 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Tubers harvested in a farmer’s field and tubers grown in nematode-inoculated pots both showed the same symptoms of dry rot. The fresh weight (mean±SD) of the tubers of inoculated plants was significantly smaller (13.9±6.3 g) than that of the control (27.7±9.4 g; p<0.05). These results indicate that P. coffeae RFLP phenotype-A can cause surface damage and yield loss in Chinese yam.