Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 4:53-55 (article 28) 1981
A. Dalmasso, R. Dumas de Vaulx and M. Pitrat
Station de Recherches sur les Nematodes, INRA, 06602 Antibes Cedex, France (first author); Station d’Amelioration des Plantes Maraicheres, INRA, B.P. 94, 84140 Montfavet-Avignon, France (second and third authors)
We have developed an interspecific hybridization program to introduce into squash (Cucurbita pepo) and muskmelon (Cucumis melo) disease resistance found in wild Cucurbita and Cucumis species. We have realized the interspecific hybridization between C. pepo and C. martinezii (3) [= C. okeechobeensis according to Robinson and Puchalski (6)] and C. pepo x C. ecuadorensis (4). The wild species involved in this program were inoculated with different populations of three Meloidogyne species: Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica. The most important of these species in France on Cucurbitaceae is M. arenaria, but the others can also cause damage (1, 2).
All the inoculated Cucurbita species were susceptible to M. arenaria and M. javanica (Table 1). However, we noticed differences among the cultivars of C. pepo with the different populations of M. incognita; ‘Diamant’ seemed more tolerant than ‘Black Beauty’ with each of the three M. incognita populations. The most important conclusion is that the accessions of wild Cucurbita species inoculated are as susceptible to M. arenaria and M javanica as C. pepo and they are more susceptible to M. incognita. We have to be careful when introducing powdery mildew and virus resistance to not bring greater susceptibility to root-knot nematodes into C. pepo.
The two accessions of Cucumis metuliferus were resistant to two populations of M. arenaria but susceptible to a third population. An accession of C. metuliferus from Fassuliotis seemed a little less susceptible to M. javanica and M. incognita than the one from the Vavilov Institute. Cucumis ficifolius, PI 193967, was more resistant to the three populations of M. arenaria than C. metuliferus but was susceptible to two of the three populations of M. incognita. These two Cucumis species are very interesting for their high level of tolerance to root-knot nematodes and justify attempts to realize interspecific hybridization with cultivated Cucumis (5). Since M. arenaria is the most common species of Meloidogyne in France, C. ficifolius would be more interesting than C. metuliferus.
Table 1. Egg production index of Cucurbita and Cucumis species inoculated with different source populations of three Meloidogyne species (sources given).
Meloidogyne arenaria |
Meloidogyne javanica |
Meloidogyne incognita |
|||||
Species |
Monteux, France |
Grau du roi, France |
Ain Taoujdate, Morocco |
Abou, Dabi |
West Indies |
Ivory Coast |
Calissane, France |
| Cucurbita | |||||||
| C. pepo cv Black Beauty |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| C. pepo cv Diamant |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0-1 |
0-1 |
0-1 |
| C. martinezii |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
– |
| C. lundelliana |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| C. ecuadorensis |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Cucumis | |||||||
| C. metuliferus (1) |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0-1 |
2 |
1 |
| C. metuliferus (2) |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| C. ficifolius PI 193967 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0=non infection; 1=very light infection; 2=reduced infection; 3=maximum infection, high multiplication rate.
(1) Received from Vavilov Institute.
(2) Received from G. Fassuliotis.
Literature Cited
- Cardin, M. C. 1979. Influence of temperature on the relationships of Meloidogyne hapla with cucumber roots. Rev. Nematol. 2:169-175.
- Dalmasso, A. 1980. Les nematodes Meloidogyne et al tomatoe de conserve. Pepinieristes Hortic. Maraichers 205:29-34.
- Dumas de Vaulx, R. and M. Pitrat. 1979. Interspecific cross between Cucurbita pepo and C. martinezii. Cucurbit Genet. Coop. Rpt. 2:35.
- Dumas de Vaulx, R. and M. Pitrat. 1980. Realization of the interspecific hybridization (F1 and BC1) between Cucurbita pepo and C. ecuadorensis. Cucurbit Genet. Coop. Rpt. 3:42.
- Norton, J. D. and D. M. Granberry. 1980. Characteristics of progeny from an interspecific cross of Cucumis melo with Cucumis metuliferus. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 105:174-180.
- Robinson, R. W. And J. P. Puchalski. 1980. Synonymy of Cucurbita martinezii and C. okeechobeensis. Cucurbit Genet. Coop. Rpt. 3:45-46.