Host status of selected cultivated fruit crops to Meloidogyne enterolobii

• Published in: European journal of plant pathology Vol. 148; no. 2; pp. 307 - 319
• Main Authors: Freitas, Vânia M., Silva, Joelma G. P., Gomes, Cesar B., Castro, José M. C., Correa, Valdir R., Carneiro, Regina M. D. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cherries; Crops; Cultivation; Ecology; Economic importance; Economics; Field tests; Fruit crops; Fruit cultivation; Fruits; Genotypes; Greenhouses; Guava; Inoculation; Life Sciences; Meloidogyne enterolobii; Melons; Nematodes; Orchards; Passion fruit; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Rootstocks; Tomatoes; Guava root-knot nematode; Resistance; Fruit crops; Crop rotation
• ISSN: 0929-1873; 1573-8469
• DOI: 10.1007/s10658-016-1090-8

Meloidogyne enterolobii (syn. M . mayaguensis ) has been reported to cause severe damage in commercial guava orchards and other plants in Central and South American countries. Considering the risk of introduction and dissemination of this pest in the European region, M. enterolobii was placed on the EPPO A2 list in 2010. The use of non-host fruit species is a recommended strategy to manage root-knot nematodes in infested guava orchards. This study screened 89 plant genotypes from 25 fruit plants of economic importance, plus two susceptible controls (guava and tomato) for its host status to M. enterolobii . Three to eight months after inoculation, nematode reproduction factor (RF) was used to characterize host suitability of fruit crops to this nematode. Ten banana genotypes, six Barbados cherries, one fig, two grape rootstocks and six melons were rated as good hosts for this nematode. Sixteen fruit plants behaved either as non-hosts or poor hosts to M. enterolobii , including assaí, atemoya, avocado, cashew nut, citrus, coconut, grape, jabuticaba, mango, mulberry, papaya, passion fruit, sapodilla, soursop, starfruit and strawberry. For the future, field experiments in areas infested by this nematode are essential to confirm the greenhouse results. These non-host fruit species can replace in the future eradicated guava trees in fields severely infested by this nematode and become an economic option for growers where M. enterolobii is considered a serious problem.