Plant parasitic nematodes from rhizosphere of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) with two new records of Geocenamus squamatus and Filenchus pratensis from Iran

For the investigation and identification of plant parasitic nematodes associated with saffron, 88 soil samples were collected in the autumn of 2012 from the rhizosphere of saffron in different areas of southern Khorasan province, Iran. Nematodes were extracted by centrifugal flotation technique. The extracted nematodes were transferred to glycerine for preparing permanent slides. Then plant parasitic nematodes were identified by using morphological and morphometeric characters. In this study, a total of 30 species of nematodes were identified. Among them, two species viz., Geocenamus squamatus and Filenchus pratensis are recorded for the first time in Iran.