Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings with five leaves planted in clay pots (20cm diam.) containing two l of andosol, sirasu soil, sand-dune regosol or gray lowland soil, respectively, were inoculated with Meloidogyne incognita second stage juveniles at six inoculum levels (0 to 33, 000 per pot) and cultured outdoors for 40 days. Plant heights which ranged from 77 to 89 cm at inoculum 0, were reduced by 6 to 10 cm at inoculum 33, 000 in each soil except for gray lowland soil. Average top weights (shoots+fruits) were 284, 157, 127, and 122g for sirasu, gray lowland, andosol, and sand-dune regosol, respectively. Root weights increased with increasing inoculum levels in each soil. Percentage of roots to total plant weights (shoots+fruits+roots) were smaller in sirasu (20% on the average) than in other soils (25 to 27%). A stimulatory effect on the plant growth was observed at low inoculum levels in andosol and sand-dune regosol. Chemical properties of soils tested did not show any association with differences in plant growth affected by nematode infection.
