Lolium rigidum
Rigid ryegrass
1 Related Pests
Anguina funesta
nematode
-
Australia, South Africa, Japan, USA.
OR
Noted as prohibited in South Korea and China.
2025-08-07
Anguina funesta is a seed gall-forming nematode that parasitizes Lolium multiflorum and L. rigidum and plays a key role in annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT). It induces galls in place of seeds, housing hundreds of juvenile nematodes in a dormant state. Under moist conditions, juveniles rehydrate, invade seedlings, and complete their lifecycle by forming new galls. While not toxic itself, A. funesta enables the spread of Rathayibacter toxicus, a bacterium responsible for the fatal ARGT in grazing livestock.
Main: Ryegrass (Lolium multiforum, and Lolium rigidum)
Yes
ANGUFU-1, ANGUFU-2, ANGUFU-3, ANGUFU-4
Lolium rigidum seed is a well-known pathway.
ANGUFU-1, ANGUFU-2, ANGUFU-3, ANGUFU-4
Visual examination, Seed wash, Size selective sieving, PCR
ANGUFU-6, ANGUFU-7
The seed is soaked in 500 ml of water for 48 h, followed by blending, sieving, and screening 20 ml of flowthrough for SGNs under a dissecting microscope. This process is customary for detection in seed shipments but has not been standardized.
Chemical, cultural
CABI CPC, NEMAPLEX
Cultural methods are being researched such as crop rotation, fallowing, and ploughing. Nematicides have shown effective in infected fields. Hot water at 52 °C for 15 min, followed by a 2-hour water soak.
Fisher, J. M., A. C. McKay and A. J. Dube. 1984. Observations on growth of adults of Anguina funesta (Nematoda:Anguinidae). Nematologica 30:463-469.
Murray, T. D., I. Agarkova, S. Alderman, J. Allen, R. Bulluck, J. Chitambar, C. Divan, I. Riley, B. Schroeder, A. Sechler, and S. Subbotin. 2014. Recovery Plan for Rathayibacter Poisoning caused by Rathayibacter toxicus (syn. Clavibacter toxicus) National Plant Disease Recovery System, a cooperative project of The American Phytopathological Society and The United States Department of Agriculture
Riley, I. T. and Barbetti, M. J. 2008. Australian anguinids: their agricultural impact and control. Australasian Plant Pathology 37:289-297.
Dr H. M. Rivedal, personal communication, August 6, 2025
Rivedal, H. M., Temple, T. N., Starchvick, R. J., Braithwaite, E., Lowder, S. R., Dorman, S. J., ... & Zasada, I. A. (2024). Comparison of molecular and morphological identification methods for Anguina seed gall nematodes in Oregon grasses grown for seed. PhytoFrontiers™, 4(4), 504-514.
Skantar, A. M., Prior, T., & Fleming, C. (2017). DP 18: Anguina spp. In International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 27: Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests (Annex 18). Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Ferris, H. 2019. Nemaplex. www.nemaplex.ucdavis.edu.
Search the database