Evaluation of some fruit and agroforestry plants against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita.
Sharma S. K., Harminder Singh, Sultan M. S.
Author Affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana - 141 004, India.
Plant Disease Research (Ludhiana) 27 : 121-122
Abstract : The susceptibility of 18 crops to infestation by Meloidogyne incognita was evaluated in pots with sandy loam soil and in an infested field in Punjab, India. Nematode population was evaluated at 20 months after the inoculation of plants in pots or at 24 months after planting in the infested field. In pot and field experiments, aonla (Phyllanthus emblica), guava, kinnow (Citrus sinensis × C. reticulata), rough lemon (Jatti Khatti), kainth (Pyrus pashia), loquat, mango, pear (Pyrus communis), phalsa (Grewia asiatica), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus tereticornis) and poplar (Populus deltoides) did not have galls or egg masses on roots and were considered non-hosts. On ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), some galls were observed on the roots of some plants but egg masses were absent; thus, this crop was categorized as a very poor host. Plum was classified as a good host. Grape, pawpaw, peach, pomegranate and mulberry showed profuse galling; thus, these were considered very good hosts. Gall size varied among the hosts. Plum and grape had small galls, whereas pawpaw, peach and mulberry had larger galls. The results suggested that aonla, ber, guava, kinnow, loquat, mango, phalsa, pear, eucalyptus and poplar can be planted in soils infested with M. incognita.