Suitable rootstocks for organically grown tomato and cucumber in relation to Meloidogyne SPP.

In organic greenhouse vegetable production, significant yield loss occurs due to root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). Soil steaming is effective; however, it is not preferred, since beneficial soil micro organisms are eliminated. An inclusion of resistant hosts within the crop rotation is complicated by the broad host range of the nematode and the high level of specialization of companies towards production of fruit vegetables. Nearly all species of fruit vegetables are susceptible to a varying degree and complete resistance is absent. Even when rootstocks show partial resistance, this is broken down at high temperatures and with an increase in nematode densities. In addition, a lack of compatibility between the rootstock and graft is reported. The objective of the research was to find a rootstock with a high resistance against the most important Meloidogyne species in greenhouses in the Netherlands, M. incognita and M. hapla. Secondly, rootstocks should combine resistance with high yield and quality. In five experiments, 16 to 28 rootstocks per vegetable crop were tested for susceptibility, based on the number and size of root-knots and degree of nematode reproduction. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), one of the best performing rootstocks was ‘PG76’; in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) ‘RZ64-10’ and ‘Harry’ performed well. In general, tomato rootstocks have a higher level of resistance against M. incognita compared with M. hapla. However, cucumber rootstocks seem to be more susceptible to M. incognita than to M. hapla.