FIELD PERFORMANCE OF PECAN ROOTSTOCKS FOR RESISTANCE TO MELOIDOGYNE PARTITYLA IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Two open pollinated commercial pecan seedling rootstocks were evaluated for resistance to Meloidogyne partityla in field microplots. Rootstocks tested included seedlings derived from open pollinated seed of ` Curtis' and ` Elliott' parent trees. ` Elliott', a susceptible pecan seedling rootstock for M. partityla, also served as the identifiable control. Both commercial pecan rootstocks supported nematode reproduction as indicated by number of egg masses per plant, number of eggs per plant, and number of eggs per gram dry root and were not significantly different between rootstocks 30 months after inoculation. Differences in tree growth, as measured by trunk diameter and dry root weight, were not found between ` Elliott' and ` Curtis' rootstocks, but growth suppression of both stocks was influenced in the presence of M. partityla. These results provide useful insights into M. partityla being a potentially economically important pathogen to the pecan industry in the southeastern United States and that the search for an IPM strategy for control of M. partityla on pecan is warranted.