Host suitability of winter crops for Meloidogyne arenaria under greenhouse conditions

Abstract Although soybean is the most important crop in southern Brazil, information on the host status of the various winter plants to Meloidogyne arenaria included in this system is still scarce. We aimed to evaluate the susceptibility/resistance of the following cultivars to M . arenaria : three ryegrasses (‘Bolt’, ‘Bill Max’ and ‘Green Bull’), three clovers (‘Cyrus’, ‘Argos’ and ‘Goliath’), four barleys (‘BRS Brau’, ‘ABI Rubi’, ‘Anag 02’ and ‘BRS Cauê’) and one rye (‘Temprano’). Two experiments (2023 and 2025) were conducted under greenhouse conditions and plants were inoculated with approximately 816 and 1000 specimens (eggs and second-stage juveniles) of M . arenaria (initial population – IP ). The final population ( FP ) was estimated after 126 days (experiment 1) and 146 days (experiment 2) after inoculation. We then determined the reproductive factor (RF = FP / IP ) and the number of nematodes per gram of roots (nema g −1 ). The host status of the winter crop cultivars was determined based on the ranking their RF values, as obtained from the statistical analysis. Taking these findings into account, we found that the studied cultivars showed a variable reaction to M . arenaria (0 ≤ RF ≤ 9.40; 0 ≤ nema g −1 ≤ 948.30). However, the cultivars ‘BRS Brau’, ‘ABI Rubi’, ‘Temprano’, ‘Green Bull’ and ‘Bill Max’ were able to suppress M . arenaria (RF < 1.0), making them suitable for management strategies. Overall, our findings appear to provide useful information for the management of M . arenaria- infested areas by offering options for succession schedules.