ABSTRACT
Intensive production of vegetables in greenhouses can increase the amount of inoculum of soil-borne pathogens, such as the root-knot nematode. Thus, in this study we aimed to evaluate the potential of Solanaceae as rootstocks resistant to Meloidogyne javanica nematodes as an alternative to tomato grafting. The experiment consisted of seven treatments: wild species joá-vermelho (Solanum capsicoides), joá-bagudo (Solanum palinacanthum), joá-bravo (Solanum viarum), jurubeba (Solanum spp.) and the commercial tomato cultivars Santa Cruz Kada, Batalha and Guardião. The analyzed variables were gall index; egg mass index; final nematode population; reproduction factor (FR) and reaction: susceptibility, resistance and immunity; fresh shoot and root mass and number of eggs per gram of roots. The wild species joá-vermelho, joá-bagudo and jurubeba showed resistance, with the lowest indexes of galls, egg mass, final population of nematodes and number of eggs per gram of root, not differing from the resistant control treatment (hybrid rootstock Guardião), with a reproduction factor less than 1, showing potential to be used as a resistant rootstock to M. javanica. Joá-bravo species showed susceptibility to the root-knot nematode, with a FR>1, not differing from the susceptible tomato Santa Cruz Kada. These results confirm the resistance of wild species to nematode parasitism, which can prove the viability of use as possible alternative rootstocks, and reinforce the idea that more studies should be carried out aiming to provide more viable options for farmers and plantlet producers.
Keywords:
Solanum lycopersicum; root-knot nematode; grafting; resistance