RESPONSE OF LINES AND CULTIVARS OF TOBACCO AND NICOTIANA SPECIES TO ITALIAN POPULATIONS OF MELOIDOGYNE SPECIES

The reaction of lines and cultivars of Nicotiana tabacum, N. glauca, N. kawakamii, N. longiflora, N. megalosiphon, N. otophora and N. repanda to Italian populations of host race 1 and host race 2 of Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica, host rave 2 of M. arenaria and M. hapla were evaluated in a glass house at 26±2 oC. Groups of eight plants of each line or cultivar were planted in plastic trays containing 12 dm³ of steam sterilized sandy soil, and artificially infested with 10,000 eggs and juveniles of each nematode population per plant. The cultivars Bel 4-30 and RG 17 of N. tabacum were resistant to all nematode populations tested. The cv NC 729 was resistant to race 1 and race 2 of M. incognita, M. javanica and race 2 of M. arenaria and moderately resistant to M. hapla. The line of N. repanda was resistant only to race 2 of M. incognita. The remaining lines and cultivars were susceptible to all populations tested.