First Report of <i>Meloidogyne hapla</i> (Nematoda) Parasitizing <i>Angelica sinensis</i> and <i>Panax japonicus</i> in Yunnan Province, China

<i>Angelica</i> <i>sinensis</i> and <i>Panax japonicus</i> are medicinal plants extensively cultivated in Yunnan Province, China. Their productivity is being restricted by unidentified root-knot nematodes, expressed as poor plant growth and characteristic root galls. Morphological and molecular procedures identified the nematode <i>Meloidogyne hapla</i>. Subsequent parasitism analyses demonstrated that <i>M. hapla</i> induced typical root galling symptoms and significantly inhibited growth of <i>A</i>. <i>sinensis</i> and <i>P. japonicus.</i> This is the initial documentation of <i>M. hapla</i> associated with <i>A. sinensis</i> and <i>P. japonicus</i> in Yunnan Province, China.