A Species Specific, PCR Assay for the Detection of Rotylenchulus reniformis

A Polymerase Chain Reaction assay has been designed for detection of the reniform nematode. The assay can rapidly identify the reniform nematode individually or in the presence of a population of nematodes. Primers where designed with sequences obtained from genebank. The assay utilizes species specific primers that have been found to only amplify reniform DNA while maintaining high stringency in the annealing temperature. The assay has been screened for specificity on populations of reniform and root-knot nematodes collected from the state of Mississippi.