Abstract:

Plant parasitic nematodes remain a major challenge to crop production that has hitherto received minmum
research attention in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper gives the diversity of nematode genera and species associated with cereal crops and indicates the possibility of nemadode population build up due to production intensification especially in soils with high sand content. Twenty-two nematode species from 10 genera of plant
parasitic nematodes were recovered in root samples collected from 5 cereal crops (barley, maize, millet, sorghum
and wheat) collected from 293 sites in five major cereal growing areas of Uganda (230 maize samples, 18 millet
samples, 21 sorghum samples, 18 wheat samples and 6 barley samples), grown singly or as intercrops. Of these,
12 nematode species were encountered in maize roots, namely Aphelenchoides arachides, Aphelenchoides eltaybi,
Ditylenchus spp, Helicotylenchus dihystera, Meloidogyne spp., Pratylenchus brachyurus, Pratylenchus goodeyi,
Pratylenchus zeae, Scutellonema brachyurus, Scutellonema paralabiatum, Scutellonema clathricaudatum and
Rotylenchulus borealis. Based on populations of the nematode species recovered, four distinct nematode groupings were observed: those that were widespread and abundant (Pratylenchus zeae and P. brachyurus); those that
were widespread but less abundant (Scutellonema spp., Meloidogyne spp., Rotylenchulus spp. and Helicotylenchus
spp.); those that were localized but very abundant (Pratylenchus goodeyi), and those that were localized but less
abundant (Aphelenchoides spp. and Ditylenchus spp.). Intensified maize cropping systems with/without noncereal rotations increased risk of Pratylenchus zeae, Scutellonema spp. and Helicotylenchus spp. infection of maize.