Resistance in Mungbean Against Meloidogyne incognita and its Impact on Nodulation

Abstract

Mungbean is an economically as well as nutritionally enriched crop. Of the different soil borne pathogens attacking mungbean, root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) is an important pathogen affecting growth and production of mungbean. It is grown in summer as well as in kharif season. The germplasm of mungbean of two seasons’ viz., summer and kharif was screened to identify new sources of resistance against root knot nematode, M. incognita. In addition to screening; studies were also conducted on the impact of root knot nematode infestation in roots on nodulation character of mungbean and growth parameters. Of the sixty three genotypes evaluated in summer, seven were found to be moderately resistant. In kharif season, only three genotypes were found to be moderately resistant. M. incognita infestation was also observed to affect the plant growth parameters as well as nodulation on roots of mungbean genotypes. Comparatively, better plant growth and higher nodulation was observed in moderately resistant genotypes as compared to the susceptible ones. The ten identified moderately resistant genotypes from two seasons can be a useful source in breeding programmes for developing cultivars to manage root knot nematode.