Dirasat, Agricultural Sciences, Volume 33, No. 3, 2006

Response of Recently Introduced Cultivars of Vegetable Crops to the Root-Knot Nematodes
(Meloidogyne Species and Races) in Jordan
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Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture,

University of Jordan (1); Department of Plant Protection and IPM, Faculty of Agriculture, Mu’tah University, Al- Karak (2).

Walid Abu-Gharbieh and Muwaffaq Karajeh *

ABSTRACT

Sixty cultivars of 16 vegetable crops, recently introduced to Jordan were evaluated under controlled growthroom conditions for their resistance or susceptibility to the Root-Knot Nematodes (RKNs) prevailing in Jordan, namely: Meloidogyne javanica, M. incognita race 1 and 2, and M. arenaria race 2. Responses to M. javanica ranged from "resistant" in the sweet pepper cultivar, "moderately resistant" in certain lettuce and corn cultivars, and "moderately susceptible" in some cultivars of carrot, corn, mallow, onion, spinach and turnip. Responses to M. incognita race 1 and 2 were "moderately susceptible" in certain cultivars of cauliflower, corn, onion and lettuce, and responses to M. arenaria race 2 ranged from "immune" in one sweet pepper cultivar to "moderately susceptible" in some cultivars of corn, lettuce, mallow, melon, watermelon and tomato. Other crops and cultivars, however, were either susceptible or highly susceptible to the RKNs. Nevertheless, since none of the tested tomato cultivars were resistant to the RKNs, the introduction of tomato cultivars carrying the Mi gene of resistance could be useful in managing the prevailing RKNs in Jordan.