1Department of Fruit Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
2Department of Fruit Crops, HC & RI, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
3Department of Fruit Crops, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
4Department of Pathology, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
5Department of Fruit Crops, HC and RI, TNAU, Tamil Nadu, India
6International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain-Asia and the Pacific, c/o IRRI Khush Hall, Los Banos, Laguna 4031, Philippines
*Email: sukhenchandra@rediffmail.com
Online published on 15 January, 2014.
Plant parasitic nematodes are one of the major biotic stresses affecting banana production. Breeding works carried out at the Department of Fruit crops, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), India. The potential diploids and hybrids developed were crossed with commercial triploids to develop primary tetraploids and improved diploids. The susceptible check cultivar used was Rasthali (AAB), while the resistant reference cultivar used Pisang Lilin (AA). Banana suckers of uniform size and weight were collected, pared and planted in earthen part containing 5 kg sterilized pot mixture. Egg masses of M. incognita were picked from roots, allowed to hatch in a beaker of distilled water and the hatched juveniles (J2) were inoculated in the rhizosphere of the hybrids by soil injection method @ 5,000 nematodes/pot. Same set of replicated banana hybrids were also maintained as uninoculated check. The reactions of nineteen new synthetic banana phase II hybrids to Meloidogyne incognita was studied under field conditions as well as in controlled inoculation tests in pots. Hybrid H 531 (Poovan x Pisang Lilin) was found to be resistant and six hybrids, H-02-34, H-03-05, H-03-13, H-04-12, H-04-24 and NPH-02-01 were found to be toterant to the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita while the remaining were rated as susceptible and highly susceptible ones. Total phenols and PO, PPO, PAL and enzymatic activity of the hybrids in defense mechanism in response to nematode invasion indicated higher activities in resistant genotypes compare to susceptible ones. Hybrid H 531 had the maximum biochemical content and enzyme activity among the hybrids included in this study. The resistant and tolerant hybrids had enhanced contents of total phenol, PO, PPO and PAL.
Evaluation of 19 parthenocarpic Musa hybrids led to identification of a new banana hybrid ‘H 531’ with high yield potential as well as increased resistant to Meloidogyne incognita.
The promising hybrid H 531’ had high total phenol content and PO, PPO and PAL enzyme activities as resistant mechanism.
Screening, banana, hybrids, resistance, Meloidogyne incognita
