Histopathological observations of the roots of tomato infected with root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Selected commercial cultivars of tomato were screened for resistance against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. The cultivars having moderate resistance and susceptibility were subjected to histopathological observations. The results revealed that the cultivars with moderate resistance manifested higher concentrations of total insoluble polysaccharides, nucleic acids and total proteins when compared to susceptible cultivars. Further, there was increase in overall size of the cells in epidermal and cortical layers of the infected roots of tomato as compared to their healthy counterparts.