Optimal parameters for the extraction of nematodes from wood substrate

The purpose of the research is determine the optimal time and temperature parameters for the extraction of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus nematodes by Baermann-funnel method from pine wood of Pinus sylvestris L. Materials and methods. P. sylvestris logs 22–25 cm long, cut from a 15-year-old visually healthy pine tree, were infested with the pine wood stem nematode B. xylophilus and incubated for 45 days in a thermostat at 27 °C. Further, sawdust was obtained by drilling nematode-infested logs with a drill to form a single wood substrate sample. Berman's funnel technique was used to extract nematodes from the wood sample. The experiments included four replications of 8 samples each. Nematode abundance was counted after 6, 24 and 48 hours at 18 and 25 °C. The data were processed in MS Excel. Results and discussion. The conducted studies showed that about 80% of the nematodes were extracted within the first 24 hours. This period is optimal for nematological analysis. The number of nematodes extracted in the following 24 hours was about 20%. Temperature between 18 and 25 °C influenced the degree of nematode extraction from the wood substrate, but not always significantly. The numbers of extracted nematodes in different samples obtained from the single mixed substrate differed significantly, which can be explained by the aggregation of their distribution in the wood substrate.