HOST SUITABILITY OF FORAGE, VEGETABLE, CEREALS AND WEEDS TO MELOIDOGYNE GRAMINICOLA

VINOD KUMAR*, ANIL KUMAR AND S. S. MANN
Department of Nematology,
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India-125004
*(e-mail : vinodnagal04@hau.ac.in)
Received : 10 October 2021; Accepted : 29 December 2021)

SUMMARY

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs), Meloidogyne spp. and particularly rice root-knot nematode (M. graminicola), are serious pests of rice, being, probably, the most economically important plantparasitic nematode in this crop. M. graminicola is an obligate sedentary endoparasite adapted to flooded conditions. Due to its wide polyphagia, M. graminicola survives and reproduces in offseason and during rice cultivation in the next season. Thus, the aim of this research was to check the host suitability of plant species, most often found off-season and during rice cultivation to M. graminicola. The response of the M. graminicola population to differential hosts was evaluated in the screen house, Department of Nematology, CCS HAU, Hisar during Kharif season, 2019-20. All the plants viz., Oryza glaberrima line 06, Oryza glaberrima line 33, Oryza glaberrima line 44, sorghum (HJ 541), pearl millet (HHB 67), brinjal (BR 112), Dactylocteniuma egyptium, Leptochloa chinensis and rice (PB 114), except onion and tomato, were found host of M. graminicola. Although,
variation occurred in respect of number of galls/plant, final nematode population and reproduction factor in different plant species. Minimum number of galls/plant were obtained in brinjal (3.75) followed by sorghum (13.75), Dactylocteniuma egyptium (14.50) and Leptochloa chinensis (15.25). Maximum reproduction factor was observed in crop where rice (PB 114) followed by pearl millet (HHB 67), Oryza glaberrima line 33 and Oryza glaberrima line 44.

Key words: Forage, host range, Meloidogyne graminicola, Oryza sativa, plant-parasitic nematode, weeds

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