Host and non-host status of plant species for the maize cyst nematode, Heterodera zeae, in India

Abstract

The host status of 41 plant species belonging to 34 genera of ten families was evaluated towards an Indian population of the maize cyst nematode, Heterodera zeae, under glass-house conditions. Only thirteen plant species were found to be hosts for H. zeae. They were the poaceous maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, barley, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, finger millet, little millet, oat, rye, sugarcane and khus-khus grass. All the non-poaceous plant species tested (soybean, sunflower, mustard, tomato, brinjal, okra, chilli, bottle gourd, mung bean, urd bean, broad bean, cowpea, common beet, pigeon pea, chickpea, pea, peanut, onion, garlic, carrot, common bean and radish) were non-hosts for the nematode. The host status of fourteen crop plant species to populations of H. zeae, from India, Egypt, Pakistan and USA is discussed.