Interactions of Selected Potato Cultivars and Populations of Meloidogyne hapla Adapted to the Midwest U . S . Soils

Meloidogyne hapla Chitwood is among the most serious nematode pests in temperate vegetable crops grown in rotation with potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a crop with known resistance to potato cyst. While the types of agronomic trait improvements, crops, and pests are limited by resources, preserving improved crops in a rotation system requires understanding their performance against nontarget pests such as M. hapla. In greenhouse experiments, the interactions of four populations of M. hapla (Mh 1, Mh 2, Mh 3, and Mh 4) and six potato cultivars and lines, including ‘Boulder’ and ‘Missaukee’ with the H1 gene, were tested. The potato cultivars showed a 12 to 33% degree of suitability to the populations of M. hapla when compared with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. [syn. Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), the host in which the populations were cultured, indicating that buildup of the populations of M. hapla potentially may be a problem. However, the responses varied by M. hapla population and potato cultivar interactions, suggesting that the management challenges will be site specifi c. Of the four M. hapla populations, Mh 3, an isolate from sandy soil under extended methyl bromide and other pesticide application, was the most pathogenic. The study provides critical data for developing agro-biologically integrated approaches to managing nematode parasitic variability. H. Melakeberhan, Nematologist, Department of Horticulture, Plant and Soil Science Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824; D. Douches, Breeder, Plant and Soil Science Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824S; W. Wang, Statistician, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Plant and Soil Science Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. Received 4 Aug. 2011. *Corresponding author ([email protected]). Abbreviations: Mh, Meloidogyne hapla. Published in Crop Sci. 52:1132–1137 (2012). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2011.08.0409 © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher.