Title: "Isolation of soil nematodes from soil sample on a raw potato surface in Home labs”

Is it not wonderful that we can isolate nematodes from soil samples at Home? This is one of the innovations that we made during lockdown. To achieve this method we first went through the understanding of our standard lab based method of isolation of soil nematodes and particularly finding of C. elegans from India.

These are the some of the pictures from CUBE HBCSE Lab



This is the standard lab based (specific amount of media and a known feed) method of isolation of soil nematodes where soil is placed at the circumference of extraction plate:2%Agar and E.coli culture at the center of the plate to attract nematodes from soil to the center so that you can track the movement of nematodes and take them out from this plate.

Can you think of any alternative to the agar medium and E.coli culture so that we can do the same at home? I encourage you to follow this.

“Whatever things are used, try to break it down to what is its function and can it be replaced by things available at home”.


These are some of the nematodes found on the plate from the soil sample.

Close up pic of Nematode with its eggs.


Here is some of the pictures of experimental set up to isolate soil nematodes at home


Aim of the experiment and set up :To isolate nematodes from soil on raw potato surface using two drops of milk at the Centre. Soil from a roadside plant has been taken. The soil is kept moist by adding a drop of water

To Isolate and identify nematodes from soil at home lab Kindly click on the given link to find more about this set up

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RcdjNikar5pgA5aY70EVkpVLAlAHv_Tn/view?usp=sharing
The Male nematode communicating with the female .How do nematodes talk to each other? Nematodes isolated on 11th August20

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uKSde5F7VtzGZYqoWr62hfO048RBK3R7/view?usp=sharing
Video showing growth of nematodes on potato slice using mobile camera and magnifying glass10X in December 20 CUBE Home lab Kolkata

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11UvVWK5PMjay_KYo7mwW1NCw68ASPht0/view?usp=sharing
Picking up a nematode for transfer to a fresh potato slice for culture 1/1/21 Homelab Kolkata

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ly7wj2OOMNmxMdWyZHGF5rsbVo_cv84/view?usp=sharing
Video showing nematodes waving typical of the dauer larvae of some nematodes.The culture is on raw potato slice.Home lab Kolkata

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vB2f639xHbY5_e0JDvF-2qNOhfyl58Qn/view?usp=sharing
BREAKING NEWS
13 Days after observed Microworms growing well in New separately made TRSV media bottle…Made bottle on 28/05/2021… Transferred some microworms from old culture media bottle to new media bottle using brush… Today observed some amount of microworms crawling bottle media side…
Update by : Aswathy Suresh CUBE SN Nattika.
Date of update : 9.6.2021

Microworms growing well 28/06/2021 made microworm culture bottle 1. Date of observation : 9.6.2021

Bottle 1 (Microworm culture)…observation…Huge number of worms growing inside media bottle… Only 1 setups I observed microworm growing well conditions… Bottle 2 can’t observed any microworms till today.

SLBK A17 (8/05/2021)…subculture bottle of A species… worms are growing media well…observed some number of worm growing wall of these bottle side after 1 months old culture bottle.
Update : 9.6.2021
Update by : Aswathy Suresh CUBE SN Nattika.
Home Lab : Bottukadavu - Thrissur Kerala.

SLBK C17 (8/05/2021)…subculture bottle of C species…worms were growing well inside these bottle 1 month old sub culture bottle…
Update : 9.6.2021
Update by : Aswathy Suresh CUBE SN Nattika.
Home Lab : Bottukadavu - Thrissur Kerala.

On 9thjuly20, I found lots of small white thread like nematodes on the raw potato slice with moist soil.

Nematode moving near the microbial growth on the potato surface 40hrs after set up.12/6/21 Home lab Kolkata, Batul P. Magnification is 15times

Nematode moving near the microbial growth on the potato surface 40hrs after set up.12/6/21 Home lab Kolkata, Batul P. Video also of 40hrs

Observation of the nematode isolated on potato under 10X of compound microscope 13/6/21Homelab Kolkata