Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T10:29:04.750Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Cotton Blue-Lactophenol Technique for Mounting Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2009

Mary T. Franklin
Affiliation:
Nematology Department, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.
J. Basil Goodey
Affiliation:
Nematology Department, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.

Extract

The lack of a rapid and reliable method of making permanent preparations of nematodes is most strongly felt in the case of the plant-parasitic forms. The method in general use for most plant- and soil-inhabiting nematodes consists in relaxing the worms by gentle heat, fixing in 5% formalin or Ditlivsen's fixative (Thorne, 1925) and then impregnating slowly with glycerine. This procedure is quite reliable for the non-plant-parasitic forms but its results with plant-parasitic worms are very uncertain. With the latter it is necessary to transfer from fixative to very dilute glycerine, usually 1.5% glycerine in 7.5% alcohol with a trace of thymol or copper sulphate to discourage moulds. The glycerine is allowed to concentrate very slowly during at least four weeks until the worms can be transferred to pure glycerine in which they are mounted. Even then the results are often disappointing for the worms very frequently collapse.

In considering this general problem recently the authors called to mind the appearance of worms stained within plant tissues by the acid fuchsin-lactophenol method (Goodey, 1987: Franklin, 1949). This method causes no collapse or distortion of the worms and takes but a few minutes from living material to permanently stained preparations. The process has now been developed for use with free specimens of Anguillulina dipsaci and plant-parasitic species of Aphelenchoides, and is as follows:

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1949

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Davis, W. H., 1924.—“Lactophcnol.” Bot. Gaz., 77, 343344. (W.L. 3430.)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franklin, M. T., 1949.—“A quick method of demonstrating nematodes of the genus Aphelenchoides in leaves.” J. Helminth., 23, (1/2), 9193. (W.L. 11224b.)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodey, T., 1937.—“Two methods of staining nematodes in plant tissues.” J. Helminth., 15 (3), 137144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodey, T., 1949.—“Laboratory methods for work with plant and soil nematodes.” Min. Agrie. Tech. Bull,. No. 2, in press.Google Scholar
Thorne, G., 1925.—“The genus Acrobeles von Linstow, 1877.” Trans. AMer. micr. Soc, 44 (4), 171210. (W.L. 21400a.)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorns, G., 1935.—“A new slide-ringing material in ‘Notes on free-living and plant-parasitic nematodes II.’” Proc. Helminth. Soc. Wash., 2 (2), 9698.Google Scholar