Identification and Quantification of Potato Cyst Nematodes Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida

In Europe, potato cyst nematodes (Globodera spp) can occur singly or as mixed populations and their diagnosis and quantification is a key step in their management. In July 2010 a new EU Directive (2007/33/EC) on the control of PCN came into force and the new statutory measure has resulted in a large increase of soil sampling. DNA approaches cannot distinguish viable from non-viable nematodes. Therefore, this research is aimed at developing a cheap, fast and reliable test that can identify the two species and quantify viable nematodes.