Evaluation for Relative Susceptibility of Rice Against Field Population of Meloidogyne graminicola

A study was undertaken to screen 11 commonly grown cultivars of rice viz. Anjali, Abhishek, R-Dhan, Hazari, Sadabhar, Samba Mehsuri, Sharbati, Sugandh, Swarna, Vandana and Virendra against field population of Meloidogyne graminicola under pot condition. The rice root-knot nematode infested soil collected from a farmer's field was filled in 15 cm pots (1000 J₂/kg soil) in which rice cultivars were grown. The host reaction was evaluated on the basis of gall formation, egg mass production, soil population of M. graminicola and plant growth parameters. All the cultivars except Abhishek were found susceptible to M. graminicola and developed characteristic terminal galls. The cvs. Sugandh and R-Dhan were found highly susceptible and developed 51–57 galls/root system and exhibited 11–37% decrease in the plant growth variables. The cvs. Anjali, Swarna, Vandana and Virendra showed 28–38 galls/root system. These cultivars also supported reproduction of M. graminicola which produced 20–38 egg masses leading to 60–90% increase in the soil population of the nematode. The cultivar Abhishek expressed tolerance against the nematode, and developed 3–8 galls/root system without exhibiting significant decline in the plant growth variables.