Strawberry is one of the most economically important crops worldwide. Several species of plant-parasitic nematodes have been reported to be pathogenic on strawberries, among them the northern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla), which considered to be strawberry most important nematode pest worldwide. In August 2019, strawberry growers at Silifke (Mersin, Turkey) identified nematode-like symptoms on strawberry roots and infected seedlings were brought to the nematology laboratory at of Mersin University for diagnostics. Roots were separated into small pieces and nematode extraction was performed by a modified Baermann funnel method and identified under the microscope. DNA was extracted from individual nematodes using Worm Lysis Buffer(WLB (+)). The species-specific SCAR markers (JMV1, JMV2, and JMVhapla) yielded a 440 bp band specific to M. hapla. The 28S rRNA gene region, obtained using the general primers D2\D3, sequence was analysed from. The analyzed sequence was 100% identicle to M. hapla. The gene sequences were deposited into GenBank database with accession numbers MN897751 and MN895037. Both morphological and molecular diagnostic methods confirmed that the strawberry plants collected in Silifke were infested with M. hapla. To our best knowledge this is the first report of plantparasitic nematode species M. hapla infecting strawberry in Turkey. Currently, the adverse effect of RKN on strawberry production in the region is unknown to strawberry growers.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cyst nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis (Wollenweber) and Globodera pallida (Stone) cause significant yield losses and have been listed as quarantine pests for many countries in the world including Turkey, and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO, A2). In Turkey, the current potato production area is decreasing due to contamination by quarantine agents, and new fields are under threat of invasion by new quarantine organisms. In this study, samples were collected from Nevşehir province, Turkey, in potato growing fields during the spring growing season in 2014-2015. Soil samples were washed using Fenwick's can and cysts were extracted and identified using molecular markers. The speciesspecific molecular markers generated a 435 bp using PITSr3, PITSp4 and ITS5 primers. The potato golden cyst nematode, G. rostochiensis was identified in Nevşehir potato production areas and this is the first report for the Central Anatolia Region. In addition, G. rostochiensis was found in two samples of the same field in the surveys. The average cyst nematode density was determined as 60 cysts in 250 g soil.

Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are common insect pests that attack a wide range of economically important crops including potatoes. The control of wireworms is of prime importance in potato production due to the potential damage of the larvae to tuber quantity and quality. Chemical insecticides, the main control strategy against wireworms, generally fail to provide satisfactory control due to the lack of available chemicals and the soil-dwelling habits of the larvae. In the last decades, new eco-friendly concepts have emerged in the sustainable control of wireworms, one of which is entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs). EPNs are soil-inhabitant organisms and represent an ecological approach to controlling a great variety of soil-dwelling insect pests. In this study, the susceptibility of Agriotes sputator Linnaeus and A. rufipalpis Brullé larvae, the most common wireworm species in potato cultivation in Türkiye, to native EPN strains [Steinernema carpocapsae (Sc_BL22), S. feltiae (Sf_BL24 and Sf_KAY4), and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Hb_KAY10 and Hb_AF12)] were evaluated at two temperatures (25 and 30 °C) in pot experiments. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Hb_AF12 was the most effective strain at 30 °C six days post-inoculation and caused 37.5% mortality to A. rufipalpis larvae. Agriotes sputator larvae were more susceptible to tested EPNs at the same exposure time, and 50% mortality was achieved by two EPNs species, Hb_AF12 and Sc_BL22. All EPN species/strains induced mortality over 70% to both wireworm species at both temperatures at 100 IJs/cm2, 18 days post-treatment. The results suggest that tested EPN species/strains have great potential in the control of A. sputator and A. rufipalpis larvae.

Root knot nematodes are economically important crop pests that is difficult to control. Soil fumigation and solarization are significant methods to control root knot nematodes. The application of soil fumigation and solarization on nematodes is not fully understood. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the effect of the combination of the solarization with reduced dose of metam-sodium to control root knot nematodes in pepper. Experiments were conducted in greenhouses in Adanalıoğlu and Kazanlı region of Mersin province in 2014-2015. Following the planting beds were prepared in the experiments, the solarization with reduced metam-sodium fumigant was applied at 750 l/ha. The plots were saturated via drip irrigation, and waited for two days before metam-sodium was applied with 100 ton/ha water. The solarization application in July 2014 combined with reduced metam-sodium treatment were effectively protected pepper against root-knot nematodes until July 2015 where gall formation ranged between 0-1.4. Solarization combination with reduced metamsodium application resulted with gall formation below 2 while in nontreated parcels were ranged from 6.4 to 7.1. Solarization with reduced metam-sodium application resulted 98,8% to 234,5% yield increase in pepper. Results indicate that combination of solarization with reduced metam-sodium application reduced the root-knot nematodes. It is thought that when the manufacturers apply the solarization with combination of metam-sodium correctly, they will not have nematode problems and the possibility of encountering lower ineffectiveness of the chemicals.