The effects of Meloidogyne enterolobii on the growth of seven tomato varieties

Objective To explore the minimum inoculation quantity of Meloidogyne enterolobii to tomato and to evaluate the inoculation quantity effects on the growth and pathogenicity of 7 tomato varieties.

Method The tomato plants were potted in the greenhouse.Ten different gradient suspensions of the second instar larvae were set and inoculated to tomatoes by root-drenching method. The height, ground fresh mass of tomato, the number of root-knots, the number of eggs and the number of juveniles within roots were measured to determine the pathogenicity after sixty days inoculation.

Result and conclusion The results showed that the minimum inoculation quantity reached or over 0.08 of the second instar larvae of M.enterolobii in each cm³ soil, which means strong pathogenicity compared to other species of Meloidogune. The strong pathogenicity of M.enterolobii can cause serious damage to both resistant and susceptible tomato cultivars.