First report of Helicotylenchus microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense and Meloidogyne naasi from turfgrass in Utah, USA, based on comprehensive morphological, morphometric, and molecular data

Yongsan Zeng; Adam Van Dyke; Joseph A. Roberts

doi:10.2478/jofnem-2026-0033

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First report of Helicotylenchus microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense and Meloidogyne naasi from turfgrass in Utah, USA, based on comprehensive morphological, morphometric, and molecular data

Journal of Nematology

Volume 58 (2026): Issue 1 (February 2026)

By: Yongsan Zeng, Adam Van Dyke and Joseph A. Roberts

Open Access

|Oct 2026

Abstract

The core soil samples collected from annual bluegrass at a golf course in Oakridge Country Club, Utah, USA were submitted for identification in July 2024. A high number of Helicotylenchus sp., Mesocriconema sp. females, and Meloidogyne sp. juveniles were recovered from the samples using the rapid centrifugal-flotation and mist chamber extraction methods. They were examined by morphological observation and morphometric measurements under light microscopy, and by analysis of sequences from multiple molecular markers, including the ribosomal DNA 18S, 28S, and ITS. Morphological characteristics and morphometrics, as well as BlastN comparisons with other population sequences of respective nematodes from GenBank, were consistent with identification as Helicotylenchus microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense, and Meloidogyne naasi. Phylogenetic trees inferred from rDNA18S, 28S, and ITS sequences all separated the Utah population into a strongly supported clade with other respective isolates of H. microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense, and Meloidogyne naasi. This study first comprehensively reports morphological and molecular characterization of H. microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense and Meloidogyne naasi from turfgrass in Utah, USA.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2026-0033 | Journal eISSN: 2640-396X | Journal ISSN: 0022-300X

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Language: English

Page range: 623 - 644

Submitted on: Mar 26, 2026

Accepted on: Jul 27, 2026

Published on: Oct 30, 2026

Published by: Society of Nematologists, Inc.

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

Keywords:

Helicotylenchus microlobus,

Mesocriconema nebraskense,

Internal transcribed spacer (ITS),

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA),

Related subjects:

© 2026 Yongsan Zeng, Adam Van Dyke, Joseph A. Roberts, published by Society of Nematologists, Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 58 (2026): Issue 1 (February 2026)