Open Access

Kazakhstan is an important producer and exporter of high-quality wheat. The average annual production is about 13 million tons, but output is highly dependent on weather and in recent years has fluctuated between 10 and 17 million tons. Between 2 and 8 million tons is exported annually, mainly to destinations in Europe (including Russia and Ukraine), northern Africa, and Central Asia. Accordingly, the greatest attention in Kazakhstan (as well as throughout the country) was paid to the study of nematode fauna of the most important crops (cereals, vegetables, vegetables, fruits, etc.) (Z.A. Balbaeva, 1967, 1972, 1981; E.N. Kuanshalieva, 1963, 1972; A.A. Razzhivin, 1969; М.Т. Sofrygin, 1973; L.A. Vladimirova, 1975; R.I. Isatuliyeva, 1967, 1981, 1987; D.S. Chinasilov et al., 1987). The main purpose of such studies was to maximize the knowledge of species diversity of nematodes associated with specific agricultural crops, mainly on a qualitative basis. The detection of the presence of harmful phytoparasitic species in this case was secondary and disordered. For example, as a result of long-term studies of the nematode fauna of cereal crops, 62 species belonging to 14 families and 4 orders were identified. Phytoparasitic species among them were only 7 species from the family of hopllyaimids, and cystogenic and root nematodes were not detected (Z.A. Balbaeva 1967, 1979). In the Kustanai region, 116 species of nematodes related to 49 genera, 25 families, and 5 orders were detected on wheat, but only 24 phytohelminths without information on their harmfulness and prevalence (A.Z. Balbaeva, D.S. Chinasilov, 1981). Thereofere, at the time, the most harmful pathogenis are cereal cyst and root lesion nematode, which have been documented to cause economic yield loss on rainfed wheat production systems in several part of the world. In 2017 a survey was carried out in the main wheat growing areas (South Kazakhstan – Almaty region, East Kazakhstan – Ural, North Kazakhstan – province Shortandy) and a total of 230 soil samples were collected. Preliminary results showed that cyst nematodes were extracted from 24 of the 42 samples collected from province of Shortandy. Performing microscopic identification of intercepted nematodes, the following species of plant parasitic nematodes were identified – Aphelenchus spp, Aphelenchoides spp, Tylenchus spp, Filenchus spp., Pratylenchus spp., Parapratylenchus spp., Ditylenchus spp. from Ural province; as well as Aphelenchus spp., Aphelenchoides spp., Tylenchus spp., Filenchus spp., Pratylenchus spp., Parapratylenchus spp., Ditylenchus spp., Merlinius spp. from Almaty province. The results of this study of 230 samples will be presented more thoroughly at the 6th International Cereal Nematodes Symposium.