ON THE FIELD ANHYDROBIOTIC ABILITY OF PRATYLENCHUS-THORNEI AND MERLINIUS-BREVIDENS

This study on the anhydrobiotic behaviour of Pratylenchus thornei and Merlinius brevidens from dry soils has been done on a non-irrigated fi eld under wheat cv. Gallareta, estimated here as a bad/non-host of the se nematodes. P. thornei is shown to be more dependent than M. brevide ns on the soil humidity for its recovery in 15 hours of migration (reh ydration, reactivation and migration). M. brevidens emerges more easil y from anhydrobiosis. The patterns of emergence are similar for both n ematodes whether they are active or in state recovery from deep anhydr obiosis. Their patterns are different when they recover from an early stage of anhydrobiosis (mild anhydrobiosis). The two nematodes have an inertia with soil depth to enter into anhydrobiosis, which seems to d epend on the natural process of desiccation of the field soil. The ine rtia seems to be greater in M. brevidens.