Host suitability of summer cover crops and peach rootstocks to the peach root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne floridensis

Abstract

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the host suitability of ten summer cover crops and two peach rootstocks to M. floridensis by inoculating them with 10,000 M. floridensis eggs. Brown top millet and sunn hemp were non-hosts as they did not support nematode reproduction. Buckwheat, cowpea, pearl millet, Japanese millet, and sunflower supported more than 25,000 eggs/pot indicating these crops are good hosts to M. floridensis. The crops that supported poor nematode reproduction were sesame, grain sorghum, and sorghum-sudangrass with the reproduction ranging from 219 to 7,750 eggs/pot. In addition to having many galls on the roots, the peach rootstock Guardian® had 10,100 eggs on the roots and 450 second-stage juveniles in the pot indicating Guardian® is a good host to M. floridensis. Although the nematode reproduction on MP-29 rootstock was relatively lower, the presence of many large galls on the roots indicates MP-29 is susceptible to M. floridensis. Results from the current study suggest that the employment of non-host cover crops and poor-host rootstocks could aid in effective nematode management programs for peaches.