Abstract
Thirty-seven warm-season bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) accessions, two cool-season grasses (Lolium perenne and Festuca arundinacea), 'Transvala' digitgrass (Digitaria decumbens), and Sorghum bicolor were evaluated to determine host suitability and susceptibility to the sting nematode, B. longicaudatus, in a 140-day microcell bioassay. All seven of the evaluated commercial cultivars of Cynodon were suitable hosts for B. longicaudatus but varied in their tolerance to the nematode. 'Midiron,' 'Tifdwarf,' 'Tifgreen,' 'Tifgreen II,' 'Tifway II,' and 'Tufcote' were sensitive, with reductions in root weight of >24%, whereas 'Tifway' appeared to be relatively tolerant with only a 4% reduction in root dry weight. Twenty other Cynodon accessions showed decreases (P ≤ 0.05) in root dry weight relative to uninoculated plants of the same germplasm and (or) > 11% root reductions. In addition to 'Tifway,' 10 other Cynodon accessions and L. perenne, F. arundinacea, D. decumbens, and S. bicolor appeared to be relatively more tolerant of B. longicaudatus than the other accessions evaluated.
Keywords: Belonolaimus longicaudatus, bermudagrass, Cynodon spp., digitgrass, grass, host-plant resistance, nematode, perennial ryegrass, sorghum, sting nematode, tall rescue
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