Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1
Plant Protection Research Department, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Yasuj, Iran.
2
Temperate Fruits Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, AREEO, Karaj, Iran.
10.48311/jcp.2025.76256.0
Abstract
Fig inflorescence nematode, Schistonchus caprifici (Gasperrini, 1864), is a damaging agent in fig orchards of Fars Province. In this study, geostatistical methods were used to determine the geographic distribution and identify critical hotspots, which is essential for designing optimized control strategies. During 2022–2023, a total of 175 samples of profichi syconia (early, mid-, and late-ripening) were collected from Estahban, Khafr, Sarvestan, Kavar, and Shiraz Counties in Fars Province, southern Iran. Nematode extraction and estimation of its population density were done according to the routine procedure in nematology; geostatistical methods were used to simulate the spatial distributions of the fig nematode. Of the total 175 samples of caprifig inflorescence, 138 (78.85%) were infested with the fig inflorescence nematode, S. caprifici, with an average population of 1078.46 nematodes per gram of fig fruit tissue. The average population density of this nematode per gram of caprifig tissue, based on the Kriging method, variogram model, and focusing on high-risk and high-density areas, was 3700 to 4100 in Estahban County, 2000 to 3000 in Khafr County, and 1000 to 1500 nematodes per gram of caprifig fruit tissue in Sarvestan and Shiraz Counties, and less than 1000 nematodes in Kavar County samples. The effective range was three meters in Estahban (small, dense clusters), five meters in Khafr (moderate dispersion), and 7 meters in Sarvestan, Shiraz, and Kavar Counties (low dispersion). The kriging method successfully predicted nematode distribution patterns in this study, which could be an effective tool for designing fig inflorescence nematode management strategies.
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