REACTION OF SUGARCANE GENOTYPES TO PARASITISM OF Meloidogyne javanica AND Pratylenchus zeae

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the response of sugarcane genotypes to Meloidogyne javanica and Pratylenchus zeae . Sugarcane seedlings of the genotypes RB985944, RB987932, RB877935, RB855156, RB935744, RB996961, RB925345, RB935581 and RB966928 obtained from tissue cultures and maintained in pots with sterilized soil in a greenhouse were inoculated with 5,000 eggs + second - stage juveniles of M. javanica or 1,600 of P. zeae per plant, using six replicates per treatment. Tomato (Rutgers) and sorghum (BRS506) plants were used as control and proof of viability of the inoculum for the M. javanica and P. zeae , respectively. The number of root - knot in the plants inoculated with M. javanica , final nematode population and reproduction factor (RF) of both nematodes were evaluated at 120 days after inoculation. The averages of the different variables were compared by the Scott - Knott's clustering test at 5%. The nematodes M. javanica and P. zeae showed RF>1.00 in all sugarcane genotypes assessed, however, different levels of susceptibility were found. The lowest reproduction of the nematodes was found in the genotypes RB008347, RB877935, RB975944 and RB987932 ( M. javanica ) and RB987932 and RB966928 ( P. zeae ).