Surveys from 1986 to 1988 identified 22 phytoparasitic nematode species in Arkansas cotton fields. Meloidogyne spp. was found in ca. 15% of the fields sampled. Of these samples ca. 33% were found to have a population density of 106/100 cm(3) of soil or more. Rotylenchulus reniformis was found in high numbers (5,000 +/100 cm(3) of soil) in 1% of the fields sampled in 1988. Heterodera glycines was found in ca. 22% of the samples, presumably because of past cropping to soybean. Other common species found were Pratylenchus alleni, P. brachyurus, P. scribneri, Tylenchorhynchus ewingi, T. goffarti, Quinisulcius acutus, Helicotylenchus dihystera, H. pseudorobustus, Hoplolaimus magnistylus, Paratrichodorus minor, and Xiphinema americanum. Paratylenchus spp. juveniles were found in ca. 10% of the samples; adults of P. projectus and P. tenuicaudatus were found in ca. 1% of the samples. Other species found only rarely were Pratylenchus zeae, Merlinius brevidens, T. martini, Helicotylenchus multicinctus, Scutellonema brachyurum, and X. chambersi.