First Report of Meloidogyne incognita Infecting Stachys byzantina in Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT Lamb's ear ( Stachys byzantina K. Koch) is a perennial herbaceous plant classified in Brazil as a non‐conventional edible plant (NCEP) with gastronomic, ornamental, and pharmacological importance. In January 2024, plants from the Santa Rita Experimental Field of EPAMIG, in Prudente de Morais, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, showed leaf chlorosis, root galling, and reduced growth. Nematodes extracted from symptomatic roots were multiplied and used for pathogenicity tests and for morphological, morphometric, and biochemical characterisation. Pathogenicity tests confirmed nematode multiplication and symptom reproduction, with a mean reproduction factor of 23.33 ± 1.08. Morphological characterisation revealed perineal patterns with a high, squarish dorsal arch, morphometric measurements of second‐stage juveniles, and biochemical analysis showing the esterase I2 phenotype ( R m = 1.0 and 1.05); together, these results were consistent with Meloidogyne incognita , representing the first report of this nematode parasitizing Stachys byzantina in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. This finding expands the known geographic distribution of this root‐knot nematode and highlights the need for nematode management strategies in non‐conventional crops.