Nematode populations in the California Aqueduct

The objectives of the present study were to obtain information on some aspects of the possible nematode contamination in agricultural water within a limited area of the California Aqueduct. Specifically, this study was designed to: (1) Estimate the total nematode population. (2) Estimate the horizontal and vertical distribution pattern of the nematode population in the aqueduct. (3) Determine the optimum sampling size for a study of this type. (4) Establish sampling techniques. (5) Identify plant parasitic nematodes isolated from the aqueduct. Since no investigations of a similar nature have been conducted on the California Aqueduct, this study was largely exploratory in nature.