Effects of Chlorophyll Contents of Rice Bean Varieties/Lines as Influenced by Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Abstract

A study was undertaken with rice-bean (Vigna umbellata) varieties to compare the effects of root-knot nematode infection on the chlorophyll “a”, “b” and “total contents of both susceptible and resistant varieties under infected and uninoculated control condition. Infection by the nematode caused decrease in chlorophyll content as 84.18, 2.93, 15.27 and 30.79% in the varieties BBSR-19-2-1, BRB-26-1, BRB-25-1 and BRB-7-1 respectively. Similarly chlorophyll ‘b’ content was also reduced as 0.92%, 0.23%, 14.62% and 53.75% in the varieties BBSR-19-2-1, BRB-26-1, BRB-25-1 and BRB-7-1 respectively. Due to infection of the nematode total chlorophyll content of rice bean varieties was reduced as 10.39, 2.92, 15.16 and 38.75% in the varieties BBSR-19-2-1, BRB-26-1, BRB-25-1 and BRB-7-1 respectively. However, the decrease was non-significant in resistant varieties as compared to susceptible varieties. Decrease in chlorophyll content may possibly due to the alteration of host nutrition and physiology by nematode infection.