População de nematóides-das-galhas (Meloidogyne incognita) em relacão a diferentes ph do solo na cultura do tomateiro

Abstract

The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is one of the main pathogens affecting tomato crops, causing severe yield losses. Soil acidity correction has been investigated as a complementary practice to reduce damage caused by plant-parasitic nematodes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different base saturation levels on M. incognita infestation and tomato root development. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design, with five treatments (control without liming and base saturations of 60%, 80%, 100%, and 120%, using calcium oxide) and ten replications. Twenty-liter pots were filled with low-fertility soil, corrected twenty days before seedling transplantation. Three days after transplanting, inoculation was performed with a suspension containing second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. incognita. At the end of the experiment, the number of galls per gram of root and root dry mass were evaluated. The results showed that liming did not significantly reduce nematode infestation (p > 0.05), highlighting the pathogen's wide tolerance to different soil pH conditions. On the other hand, root development was influenced by the treatments: plants grown with base saturation of 60% and 80% exhibited greater root dry mass, while the control and the highest levels (100% and 120%) resulted in lower root growth. It was concluded that soil acidity correction, although not providing direct control over M. incognita, promoted greater plant vigor, with better root development in the range of 60% to 80% base saturation, which may contribute to crop tolerance to parasitism.