Research: Host Suitability of Selected Tropical Legumes and Other Crops for the Reniform Nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira, 1940
The adequacy of velvetbean (Mucuna deeringiana), swordbean (Canavalia ensiformis), hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta), castor (Ricinus communis), and sesame (Sesamum indicum) as hosts for the reniform nematode was compared in the greenhouse with that of 'Davis soybean (Glycine max), 'DP-50 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), a tropical corn cultivar, 'Pioneer 3156 corn (Zea mays), and 'FFR 331 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Cotton and soybean sustained large populations ( 500 nemas/100 cm soil or per root system) of the nematode in both root and soil samples. High numbers of the nematode were also found in soil with castor, but roots of this plant had very low numbers ( 10 nematodes/root system). All other plant species were either non-hosts or very poor hosts for the nematode. In other experiments with 24 selected cotton cultivars and nine soybean cultivars, all soybean cultivars except 'Maxcy and 'Stonewall sustained significant populations of the reniform nematode in soil. All cotton cultivar
