HERITABILITY OF KENAF (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) RESISTANCE TO ROOT- KNOT NEMATODES (Meliodogyne incognita)

Root knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) (RKN) is a plant-parasitic nematode of kenaf. RKN infestation on roots may lead to stunted plant growth in plants and a reduction in yield potential. The inheritance of resistance in kenaf to RKN M. incognita was investigated by crossing two different genotypes of kenaf: Karangpolos 1 (KR1), which is very susceptible to root-knot nematode with Karangploso 15 (KR15), which is moderately resistant to root-knot nematode. Resistance was evaluated using several variables, including the number of rootknot nematodes, reproductive factors, the number of 2nd stage juveniles, the number of egg mass, and the average number of eggs per egg mass. This study found that female parental genotypes did not significantly contribute to kenaf resistance to root-knot nematode. Partial dominance of a single gene was predicted to be responsible for the resistance to RKN M. incognita. The gene effects to all of resistance variables tested were mainly additive and dominant; additive variance was greater compared to dominant variance. The broad-sense heritability value and the narrow-sense heritability value kenaf resistance to RKN M. incognita for all variables were high. The results of this study are useful for determining the appropriate selection model for kenaf plant resistance to RKN M. incognita.