Response of potato cultivars to the northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, under field conditions in New York State, USA

What is it about?

The Northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, is an important pathogen of potato in the Northeastern United States. However, the response and susceptibility of new potato cultivars to M. hapla is unknown. Therefore, we sought to assess the relationships between M. hapla populations and yield components in potato fields in New York in 2016 and 2017. To do this, M. hapla populations were quantified from soil samples using a manual extraction technique. Additionally, a greenhouse bioassay using tomato plants was performed to estimate M. hapla populations. No significant correlation was observed between early season M. hapla populations and tuber yield, or bioassay plant galling severity and tuber yield in either year of the study. Yet, correlations between bioassay plant galling severity and M. hapla populations were significant in both years, indicating the bioassay was good at estimating M. hapla populations. These results suggest that some potato cultivars may possess tolerance to M. hapla. This work may help direct additional field studies to further investigate cultivar tolerance to M. hapla and direct best management practices for root-knot nematodes in potato production inNew York.

Featured Image