Abstract

This molecular study was conducted in 2018 at the Limpopo University to identify the plant-parasitic nematodes identified from South Africa's soils causing yield loss in crops. The recovered nematode was extracted using the tray method, and then its DNA was extracted using chelex method. Afterward, 18S rDNA was amplified using specific primers to identify the nematode. The Nblast analysis based on the small subunit ribosomal DNA showed 99% similarity with a population of Longidorus pisi (MK172049) from Bulgaria. In addition, phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining method as implemented in mega x software was done. The phylogenetic analysis put the South African populations of L. pisi together with other L. pisi with a 99 bootstrap value. In conclusion, this species’ diversity needs to be investigated to find out the impact of this nematode on the yield loss of the crops associated with it.