Effect of Soil Moisture and Texture on Transmission of the Nematophagous FungusHirsutella rhossiliensisto Cyst and Root-Knot Nematodes

The nonmotile spores of Hirsutella rhossiliensis adhere to and initiate infection of vermiform nematodes in soil. Transmission of spores to second-state juveniles (J2) of Heterodera schachtii and Meloidogyne javanica was quantified in vials that contained 15-17 cm 3 of loam, loamy sand, or sand in the absence of a host plant. Fungal inoculum was added to the soil at day O as colonized nematodes from which the fungus sporulated, and healthy J2 of H. schachtii or M. javanica were added after 14 days at 20C and were extracted 66 h later (...)