Response of local and commercial tomato cultivars and rootstocks to Meloidogyne javanica infestation

Abstract

Fifty two local Greek tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars and accessions and ten commercial nematode-resistant tomato cultivars and rootstocks were evaluated under controlled environmental conditions for resistance against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. All tested local tomato cultivars and accessions were susceptible to M. javanica. Conversely, the commercial root-knot nematode-resistant tomato cultivars significantly reduced galling and egg mass production of M. javanica. Depending on the inoculum level (200 or 400 second stage juveniles (J2) per plant), the tested tomato rootstocks showed a different response to M. javanica. When plants were inoculated with 200 M. javanica J2 a significantly lower number of galls and egg masses was recorded for all tested rootstocks in comparison to that of the control 6 weeks after inoculation. Plant inoculation with 400 M. javanica J2 resulted in reduced root galling on the non-grafted rootstock Multifort 6 weeks after inoculation, whereas a significantly lower gall index was recorded for all non-grafted rootstocks and the grafted rootstocks Multifort and Unifort 12 weeks after inoculation.