Effect of cereal cyst nematode Heterodera avenae (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae) on yield of some spring wheat varieties in Adana Province, Turkey

Cereal cyst nematode Heterodera avenae is found predominantly in the spring wheat-growing areas in Adana Province in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. The impact of H. avenae on wheat yield has been observed but not quantified. This study was conducted to determine the effect of H. avenae on the yield of 6 wheat varieties in the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 growing seasons in the naturally infested fields of Adana. According to our results, H. avenae significantly suppressed grain yield of the wheat varieties, ranging from 4.3% to 25.7%. Negative or positive linear regressions between the reproduction factor of H. avenae and grain yield of the wheat cultivars depended on the variety. Regression analysis of the data revealed that reproduction factors of H. avenae were positively correlated with grain yield in cultivars Adana-99, Ceyhan-99, and Silverstar, whereas reproduction factors were negatively correlated with the Karatopak, Osmaniyem, and Seri-82 cultivars.