Abstract
SUMMARY: Seven hundred soil samples from 41 forest nurseries were collected between 1972 and 1975 and examined for plant parasitic and predatory nematodes. Rotylenchus goodeyi, Trichodorus primitivus, Cephalenchus emarginatus and Tylenchus davainei occurred in most nurseries but their numbers were generally lower than those of R. robustus and Paratrichodorus pachydermus. In a glasshouse experiment as few as 10 R. robustus decreased the growth of Sitka spruce seedlings. It was estimated that Rotylenchus and trichodorid nematodes probably retarded the growth of some seedling trees in eight of the nurseries sampled. During the survey, Trichodorus sparsus was found for the first time in Great Britain and Paralongidorus maximus for only the third time. Since both these species were found in nurseries they were probably introduced and are ideally situated to be more widely disseminated.