Evaluation of brinjal germplasm against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita is one of the major productivity constraints in vegetable crops. In India, M. incognita reported to cause 21% yield losses in brinjal, Solanum melongena . Evaluation of germplasm helps in identification of sources of resistance against major pests including plant parasitic nematodes. Resistant germplasm plays an important role in developing the nematode resistant varieties. Resistant varieties are cost effective, help to reduce use of chemical nematicides and thereby environmental pollution. Therefore, in present study , 180 diverse accessions of cultivated brinjal ( Solanum melongena L.) and wild brinjal ( Solanum incanum L.) were evaluated to find the source of resistance against M. incognita . The population of M. incognita was characterized and used for evaluation under net house conditions. All the accessions showed varied host response to M. incognita infection. Based on number of root galls developed per plant, two accessions of S. incanum (IC260115 and IC253963A) were identified as resistant to M. incognita (< 10 root galls/plant). Besides number of galls, eggmasses and size of galls was significantly reduced in both the resistant accessions. These accessions can be utilized in development of durable management strategies against M. incognita in brinjal.