Plant Parasitic Nematodes on Paulownia tomentosa in Poland

Abstract Short-rotation woody plants of the genus Paulownia are attracting more and more attention as trees that produce biomass and reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, plants growing in monoculture affect the properties and condition of the soil. One of the effects of changes in the soil environment is the growing population of plant parasitic nematodes (PPN). The article presents information about the PPN inhabiting the root zone of the Paulownia tomentosa plantation in Poland. In this study, the frequency and density of nematode populations in samples from seven plantations in Poland were determined. The extracted nematodes were identified at the species level on the basis of the male and female morphological characteristics according to several available identification resources. A total of 20 nematode species were identified, of which 9 were classified as accessory and 11 as occasional. Among them, Trichodorus viruliferus and Longidorus attenuatus belonging to the group of viral messengers were identified.