RESISTANCE TO PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES (PRATYLENCHUS ZEAE AND MELOIDOGYNE JAVANICA) IN ERIANTHUS AND CROSSES BETWEEN ERIANTHUS AND SUGARCANE

THIS STUDY showed that clones of Erianthus arundinaceus and clones derived from crosses between Erianthus and sugarcane have useful resistance to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) and lesion nematode (Pratylenchus zeae), the two most important nematode pests of sugarcane in Australia and worldwide. In pot experiments with M. javanica, the nematode did not multiply on several E. arundinaceus clones but populations increased 5–9 times in 9 weeks on two susceptible varieties (Q208A and Q235A). Some E. arundinaceus clones were also moderately resistant to P. zeae, as final nematode population densities in one pot experiment were significantly lower than on the standard varieties. Although a wider selection of hybrids must eventually be evaluated, these initial results indicate that Erianthus is a source of nematode resistance genes that are likely to be useful in sugarcane breeding programs.