Supply of Oxygen During Hatching of the Nematode Meloidogyne Javanica Under Non-Competitive Conditions

Abstract

Variability in hatching of the root·knot nematode M. javanica was reduced by selection of egg sacs of uniform colour, size, and age. Oxygen consumption and hatching rates in a Warburg experiment were compared with hatching rates in dilute agar gel systems involving supply of oxygen by diffusion. Mathematical solutions of oxygen supply for the diffusion systems are possible. Analysis of experiment and of simplified theory suggests that the isolated nematode egg sac or egg has a floating oxygen potential at its surface. For the systems tested there is apparently a linear relationship between cumulative exposure to oxygen concentration and cumulative hatch in both experiment and theory.