On 17 Jan 2010, at 21:05, Diane Whitehead wrote: > This is very strange. All the crops Radopholus similis attacks seem > to be sub-tropical and tropical, like banana, avocado, coconut, > coffee, sugar cane. > > In the U.S., it attacks citrus in Florida, but not in California. > > It makes no sense for it to be present in other states of the U.S. > > And why would it be present in England and the Netherlands? No > bananas grow there except perhaps for a few decorative ones in private > greenhouses. You didn't pay attention or read far enough. It occurs in greenhouses, too. And "prayer plant" (Maranta sp.), which is a very common houseplant. Iit doesn't attack citrus in California because the California state department of agriculture aggressively combats infestations due to infested plants brought in from out of state. All this information crops up in the first two or three Google hits on "radopholus similis". California quarantines plants from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Puerto Rico. http://plpnemweb.ucdavis.edu/nemaplex/taxadata/… [third hit on Google] -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…