Studies on the efficiency of different inoculation methods of rice white-tip nematode, Aphelenchoides besseyi

Abstract

Summary To fulfil different research purposes, five methods to inoculate Aphelenchoides besseyi onto seedlings and panicles of rice, Oryza sativa, were evaluated in this study and the efficiency of the inoculation methods assessed by success rates and recovery rates. Among the three methods leading to the infection of young seedlings without obvious mechanical wounds, i.e., water flotation, seed soaking and leaf spraying, the inoculation of 125 nematodes plant−1 by the water flotation method gave rise to the highest success rate and recovery rate, 95.6 and 8.3%, respectively, in growth chamber experiments. When conducted in the plastic house, seed soaking and leaf spraying of 125 nematodes plant−1 resulted in 75.6 and 66.7% success rate, respectively, and 155.7 and 178.1% recovery rates, respectively. The injection or spraying of 2000 nematodes panicle−1 at the booting or flowering stage gave 100% infection.