Determination of plant-parasitic nematode fauna and evaluation of soil quality in apple orchards of Çanakkale province (Türkiye)

In September 2023, a total of 130 soil samples were collected from five different districts in the province of Çanakkale (Türkiye) and its surroundings to identify plant-parasitic nematode communities in apple orchards and to create distribution maps of these species. The density and distribution of nematode communities were examined. In total, 14.090 nematode individuals were analyzed, and 30 genera were identified. The nematodes were classified into six different orders, with the order Rhabditida standing out as the most dominant (53.87%). The order Tylenchida ranked second (23.22%). Among the most common plant-parasitic nematodes identified in the study were Paratylenchus spp. Micoletzky, 1922 (Tylenchida: Tylenchulidae) (3.46%), Merlinius spp. Siddiqi, 1970 (Tylenchida: Dolichodoridae) (3.36%), and Pratylenchus spp. Filipjev, 1936 (Tylenchida: Pratylenchidae) (3.02%). The results of the study indicate that the c-p 2 group is prevalent under disturbed soil conditions, and the dominance of the p-p 2 and p-p 3 groups poses a significant threat to apple orchards. These findings highlight that nematode c-p series are important bioindicators in the assessment of soil quality, and such analyses should be expanded through regional studies.