Response of different crops and weeds to three biotypes of Meloidogyne graminicola: crop rotation and succession strategies for irrigated rice fields

Abstract

Summary Rice, one of the most consumed cereal crops worldwide, is commonly grown under flooded conditions, which directly influences the nematode community. Meloidogyne graminicola is the predominant species in rice fields, causing significant damage and requiring integrated management practices. This study aimed to investigate the response of different Poaceae crops, soybean, and common weeds of rice to three biotypes of M. graminicola (G1, G2 and G3) recently detected in Brazil. The highest reproduction factor (RF) for the three nematode populations was detected in the weeds Echinochloa colonum and E. crus-galli, followed by rice and Italian ryegrass. Wheat ‘TBio Sonic’ and millet ‘ADR 500’ served as poor hosts to the nematodes, whereas black oat, white oat, signalgrass, millet ‘ADR 905’, maize, wheat ‘TBio Toruk’, and soybean acted as non-hosts (RF < 1) in both experiments. Of the three M. graminicola biotypes, G1 was the most aggressive, followed by G3 and G2 (lowest RF values). The findings of the current study can support the selection of crop rotation or succession approaches for the management of different biotypes of M. graminicola in irrigated rice fields.