SELEÇÃO DE GENÓTIPOS DE CUCURBITÁCEAS RESISTENTES, COMO ALTERNATIVA PARA O MANEJO DE Meloidogyne javanica

Abstract

Alexandre, Heitor Soares. Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano - Campus Morrinhos, june of 2025. Selection of resistant cucurbit genotypes as an alternative for the management of Meloidogyne javanica. Advisor: Dr. Rodrigo Vieira da Silva. Root-knot nematodes, particularly Meloidogyne javanica, cause significant damage to cucurbit crops in Brazil. The use of resistant cultivars represents an excellent alternative for nematode management. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the response of different genotypes from the Cucurbitaceae family against M. javanica. Genotypes of pumpkin, squash, and hybrid squash were selected from the germplasm bank of the Instituto Federal Goiano – Campus Iporá. Seeds were sown in polyethylene trays filled with commercial agricultural substrate. At the 3 to 4 true leaf stage, seedlings were transplanted into 1.0 L polyethylene pots containing a 2:1 (v/v) mixture of soil and sand, previously autoclaved. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design, with seven treatments and six replications. Each pot, containing one cucurbit plant, was inoculated with 5,000 M. javanica eggs using an automatic pipette. Sixty days after inoculation, the following variables were evaluated: fresh root mass (FRM), fresh shoot mass (FSM), dry shoot mass (DSM), number of galls (NG), number of eggs (NE), and reproduction factor (RF). The hybrid squash (Cucurbita moschata × Cucurbita maxima) HC 01 IF Goiano stood out by presenting the lowest reproductive rate (NE = 2,494; RF = 0.49). Moderately resistant genotypes included T1 (cv. Coroa), T2 (cv. Goianinha), and T3 (HA 02 from IF Goiano). In contrast, the hybrid squash T7 (Cucurbita moschata × Cucurbita maxima) (HC 02 IF Goiano) was the most susceptible, with NE = 30,515 and RF = 6.10. The pumpkin hybrid (Cucurbita moschata) HA 03 showed the best performance in terms of FRM, while HA 02 had the highest values for FSM and DSM, indicating greater vegetative development potential. It is concluded that the genotype HC 01 IF Goiano was the only resistant genotype, turning it the most recommended for M. javanica management.