Cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp.) are distributed in warm regions (Imren, 2020). Their great potential as highly specialized parasites around the world makes it particularly important (Madani, 2004). Over 100 species of cyst nematodes have been identified (Subbotin et al., 2010). Heterodera carotae Jones 1950 is one of the crucial species from Heterodera genus. This nematode has a very narrow host range that includes carrot (Daucus carota and D. pulcherrima). This species causes damage to plants such as irregular growth, yellowish leaves, chlorosis, stunted growth, wilted plants, taproot decay and early lignification. These damages renders affected carrots unmarketable (Anonymous, 2019). This species causes significant yield losses in carrot production in Italy. It can reason about 20 to 90% yield loss in carrots (Greco et al., 1994). Although this species was first found in the carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) soils in Spain (Isle of Ely) by Jones (1950), it was also recorded that it found on Daucus carota L. (wild and cultivated), Daucus pulcherrimus K., Torilis arvensis (hedgeparsley) and Torilis lepyophylla L. (Yu et al., 2017; Goodey et al., 1965; Escobar-Avila et al., 2018).This species also has been reported from Europe, India, Cyprus, Southern Africa, North America and Mexico on carrot (Berney and Bird, 1992; Subbotin et al., 2010; Escobar-Avila et al., 2018, Shubane et al., 2021).
As in the world, cyst nematodes are one of the important nematodes that damage to many crops in Türkiye. The presence of cyst nematodes in Türkiye has been determined by many researcher and so far: H. avenae (Wollenweber, 1924), H. ciceri (Vovlas, Greco and di Vito 1985) from Cicer arietinum and Lens culinaris, H. cruciferae (Franklin, 1945) from Brassica sp., H. filipjevi (Madzhidov, 1981) from Triticum aestivum, H. goettingiana (Liebscher, 1892) from Solanum tuberosum, H. latipons (Franklin, 1969) from Triticum aestivum, H. mani (Mathews, 1971), H. schachtii (Schmidt, 1871) from Beta vulgaris L. spp. vulgaris var altissima Doell., H. fici (Kir'yanova, 1954) from Ficus carica and F. domestica, H. humuli (Filipjev, 1934) from Urtica dioica species have been found (Yüksel, 1973; Di Vito et al., 1994; Yüksel, 1966; Yüksel, 1981; Rumpenhorst et al., 1996; Enneli and Öztürk, 1996; Rumpenhorst et al., 1996; Enneli et al., 1994; Diker, 1959; Akyazi et al., 2019). Although many host have been detected in the world, H. carotae hasn’t been found in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. viridis) plant root. Moreover, In a 2018 study by Escobar-Avila et al., some B. oleracea species were tested for host range. But, it hasn’t occured, infection in the roots.
In this study, we further characterized the Heterodera population extracted from cabbage fields (Brassica oleracea var. viridis L.) in Turkiye using morphological, morphometric and molecular features. This population was identified as a first report of H. carotae in Türkiye. We report here on the results of our morphological, morphometric and genetic characterization of the first report species infecting cabbage from World and Türkiye.