Diversity and Population Density of Parasitic Nematodes in

Celery Plants (Apium graveolens L.) in Selupu Rejang

District, Bengkulu
Djamilah, Yuni Chartika Lubis and Nadrawati
Proteksi Tanaman, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Bengkulu
miming1605@gmail.com
Plant Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a vegetable commodity that often used as flavoring or
seasoning in foods. The growth and production rate of celery plants can dwindle or even failed to
be harvested, one of the main reason this happened is an attacks by Plant Pest Organisms (OPT)
and nutrient deficiencies. Plant parasitic nematodes are one of the organisms that attack celery
plants. This study aims to identify the types of nematodes that attack celery plants, population
density and appearance of nematode attack symptoms. The research design used a purposive
sampling method in three villages in Selupu Rejang District on celery fields that had a minimum
area of 10 x 10 m. Extraction-isolation of nematodes using the centrifuge method, then
calculating the population density, and identified by looking at the morphology of nematodes
under a microscope. The parasitic nematode genera that have been identified are Meloidogyne,
Helicotylenchus, Longidorus, and Tylenchus. Of the four nematode genera, the highest
population density is in the Meloidogyne genus, while the least dense population is Longidorus.
Symptoms of nematode attack on celery include stunted plants, chlorosis of leaves, wilting faster
than healthy plants in hot weather, and galls on the roots.