RAPD characterization of single females of the root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting was performed on single fem ales of root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., using a new procedure for DN A isolation. One-fourth of the total DNA amount isolated from a single fema le proved to be sufficient as a template in a polymerase chain reaction. El ectrophoretic patterns of the amplified fragments were reproducible between replicates from a single female or sister females from the same progeny, a nd identical to those obtained with genomic DNA purified from a large numbe r of nematodes. Moreover, a comparative analysis over three successive gene rations showed stability of the amplification patterns, thus demonstrating the utility of this procedure for epidemiological and ecological studies on root-knot nematodes.