Germplasm from Nicotiana repanda - N. longiflora x N. tabacum (Group 1), N. repanda x N. tabacum (Group 2), and various species of Nicotiana (Group 3) were evaluated for resistance to Meloidogyne spp. in greenhouse tests. Egg mass production by nematodes was used as a measure of relative resistance of the germplasm. In Group I, numbers of M. incognita and M. javanica egg masses were reduced (P 0.05) in most breeding lines when compared to the susceptible N. tabacum control cultivar NC 2326. Fewer differences in egg mass numbers were found in breeding lines inoculated with M. arenaria. Numbers of egg masses of either M. arenaria or M. javanica on Group 2 breeding lines were not reduced significantly when compared to N. tabacum standards. In Group 3, lines of N. knightiana, N. sanderae, and N. velutina showed significantly reduced egg mass production when inoculated with M. arenaria. Nicotiana megalosiphon exhibited reduced egg mass production when inculated with M. javanica. Nicotiana
