Comparative effects of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on yield performance of seven Asian rice and 13 Oryza sativa/O. glaberrima interspecific progenies

Abstract

The presence of Meloidogyne graminicola, M. salasi, M. triticoryzae, and M. incognita in upland rice has been reported. The reports indicate that Meloidogyne spp. constitute an environmental stress to the crop (Greco et al 2000, Mian et al 1999). Root-knot nematodes are ubiquitous in the tropics and three of the four most important species of these nematodes are found in West Africa, with M. incognita being the most frequently encountered in the field. A recent breakthrough in rice breeding is the production of fertile progenies from O. sativa L./ O. glaberrima Steud. Interspecific crosses using anther culture techniques (Jones et al 1997). Several promising lines of these interspecific hybrids have been sent to national agricultural research systems for identification and evaluation. In this study, 13 upland lines of these hybrids were compared with seven well-known O. sativa varieties for reaction to an inoculum of 5,000 M. incognita eggs per stand.