First Report of Meloidogyne incognita Infecting Mitragyna speciosa in the United States

Kratom ( ) belongs to the coffee family of Rubiaceae. The tree is native to Southeast Asia and primarily grown in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Recently, it has been introduced and cultivated in other countries including the United States. The leaves and extracts of the leaves are used for medicinal and recreational purposes. In February 2022, kratom root and soil samples were submitted to the University of Florida Nematode Assay Laboratory for diagnosis by a commercial grower in Florida. Root galls were observed on the roots. On examination of soil and root samples, it is revealed that high numbers of root-knot nematodes ( sp.) are present. Molecular species identification was performed by a combination of the mitochondria haplotyping and species-specific primer techniques using TRNAH/MHR106 and MORF/MTHIS primer sets and -specific primers (MIF/MIR). The root-knot nematode infecting kratom is identified as by molecular analysis. To our knowledge, this paper is the first report of infecting kratom in the United States.