Pratylenchus zeae parasitizes various crops and damages the host roots, resulting in decreased yield and quality of the host plants. Alignments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI (TM)) sequences revealed the genetic variation among Pratylenchus species. The results indicated 0.2-2.4% intraspecific variations for mtDNA COI sequences among eight P. zeae populations, and 25.4-35.1% interspecific variations between P. zeae and other Pratylenchus species. Based on the mtDNA COI (TM) region, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the rapid and specific detection of P. zeae. The optimal conditions for the LAMP assay were 64 A degrees C for 40 min. The LAMP products were confirmed using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), analysis with the restriction enzyme Bam HI and visual inspection by adding SYBR Green I to the products. The LAMP assay could detect P. zeae populations from different hosts and different geographical origins specifically. The LAMP assay was also sensitive, detecting 0.1 individual P. zeae, which was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. This is the first report of the detection of Pratylenchus spp. using LAMP. In addition, the results also suggested that use of the COI gene might allow for good resolution at the Pratylenchus species level.