Physiological changes with reference to bivalent cations and other minerals on susceptible and resistant cultivars of tomato due to Meloidogyne incognita infection

The plant samples (shoot and root) of tomato resistant (Mangla) and susceptible (Pusa ruby) were processed after inoculations with Meloidogyne incognita and the concentrations of bivalent cations and other minerals were estimated. The percentage increase in the concentrations of calcium and magnesium, sodium, manganese and iron over check in the roots of susceptible and resistant plant was found to he 11.76 and 17.24, 8.51 and 33.33, 25.0 and 27.77, 6.14 and 9.15, 20.0 and 1.5 respectively. In shoots of resistant cultivar, the concentration of calcium increased slightly (3%) where as 13.76% decrease was recorded in susceptible cultivar after the inoculation of M. incognita. It was also found that copper, zinc, manganese and phosphorus were more in the roots of resistant cultivar but in shoot copper was high.