ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the extraction of nematodes from soil. All life stages of migratory
endoparasites (e.g., Pratylenchus spp.) can be found in soil or roots at any given point of time (Vrain et al. 1997), and proper population quantification depends on analyses of
both root and soil subpopulations. The most common methods for extraction of migratory
endoparasites from roots and other plant tissues include the shaker method (Bird 1971;
Barker 1985a; Ingham 1994) and the mist chamber extraction method (Barker 1985a;
Hooper 1986b; Hooper and Evans 1993; Ingham 1994). Eggs and second-stage (infective)
juveniles of the sedentary endoparasites (e.g., Meloidogyne spp., Heterodera spp., and Globodera spp.) are usually extracted from soil, and counts require interpretation with knowledge of the life cycles of species in the region. The intermediate and adult stages of
sedentary endoparasites are not easily extracted from roots, but root tissue can be cleared
and stained to facilitate observation (and quantification) of the intermediate and adult
stages of sedentary endoparasites (Hooper 1986c; Hooper and Evans 1993; Baker and
Gowen 1996).
