2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Provide the nematode identification and taxonomic expertise required by APHIS personnel. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Perform microscopic and molecular identifications of intercepted nematodes. Provide information about geographic distribution and host range. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement between ARS and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Additional details can be found in the report for the parent project, 1275-22000-249-00D: "Molecular and Morphological Systematics and Identification of Important Plant-Parasitic Nematodes." Because intercepting dangerous foreign organisms in imported agricultural and related materials is critical to the success to American agriculture, and because port-of-entry inspectors lack the expertise to provide nematode identifications, the purpose of this agreement is for ARS scientists at Beltsville, MD to provide nematode identifications and other services requested by APHIS. During FY 2007 accurate nematode identifications and related expertise were provided for 1,563 plant and soil samples (1,516 of them urgent) intercepted by APHIS at ports-of-entry or during surveys. These included samples from the survey conducted in Idaho for the potato pale cyst nematode. Important examples of intercepted nematodes include the following: root-knot nematodes from Mexico and India; lesion nematodes from Romania and Hawaii; pinewood nematode from New York; reniform nematode from Philippines and Puerto Rico; burrowing nematode from Hawaii; dagger nematode from Romania and India; stubby root nematode from South Carolina, Oregon, and Washington; rice root nematode from South Africa; foliar nematodes from China; ring nematodes from Morocco, Ukraine and Bulgaria; spiral nematodes from China, Macedonia, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Poland and Ukraine; stunt nematode from Japan, Serbia and Bangladesh; Pale-cyst nematode from new fields in Idaho; Potato-cyst nematode from a new location outside the quarantine area in New York; and other cyst nematode from Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho. The results of these identifications were used by APHIS for taking appropriate regulatory actions beneficial to growers and the public. Progress in this project was monitored through personal and conference telephone conversations, e-mail correspondence, and visits of APHIS personnel to ARS facilities at Beltsville.