EVALUATION OF THE REACTION OF WATERMELON PARENT AND F 1 PLANTS TO Meloidogyne enterolobii

Abstract

-The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of progenies from Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (cultivated watermelons) when crossed with progenies from C. lanatus var. citroides (fodder watermelon with a historic of resistance to the nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii). The parents and their F 1s were evaluated for resistance to this nematode. In the initial stages of eleven treatments, watermelon seedlings plantlets were transplanted to plastic bags of six kilograms once the first leaves developed. Ten inoculated plants with 5,200 eggs in the soil near the stem of the plant and four non-inoculated ones were used in each treatment, in a complete block design. Sixty-two days after sowing, the following characteristics were evaluated: the length of the aerial part of the plant (LAP, in m), fresh mass of the aerial part (FMAP, in g), root fresh mass (RFM, in g), egg number (EN) and reproduction factor (RF). A comparison between the averages of inoculated and non-inoculated plants was performed using Scott-Knott test at 5% and the diallelic analysis was performed using the GENES program. The morphological characteristics did not allow for the identification of the parent plants or the F 1s with respect to nematode resistance, but the variables EN and RF were useful for such identification. The analyses of the general and specific combining abilities indicate highly significant effects with respect to this resistance, showing additive gene effects as well as dominance and epistatic gene effects, allowing for identification of parents and F 1s that can be used in watermelon breeding programs to improve resistance to the M. enterolobii.Keywords: Citrullus spp. Root-knot nematode. Watermelon breeding. AVALIAÇÃO DE PARENTAIS E F 1S EM MELANCIA QUANTO À REAÇÃO AO Meloidogyne enterolobii RESUMO -O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho de progênies de melancia provenientes deCitrullus lanatus var. lanatus (melancias cultivadas) quando cruzadas com progênies provenientes de C. lanatus var. citroides (melancias forrageiras com histórico de resistência ao nematoide Meloidogyne enterolobii). Os parentais e seus F 1s foram avaliados quanto à reação a esse nematoide. Mudas de melancia de onze tratamentos no estádio inicial, com a primeira folha definitiva recém desenvolvida foram plantadas em sacos plásticos de seis quilogramas. Utilizou-se dez plantas inoculadas com 5.200 ovos próximo ao colo da planta e quatro não inoculadas em cada tratamento em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Após 62 dias foram avaliados os seguintes caracteres: comprimento da parte aérea (CPA, em m), massa fresca da parte aérea (MFPA, em g), massa fresca de raiz (MFR, em g), número de ovos (NO) e o fator de reprodução (FR). A comparação das médias das plantas inoculadas e não inoculadas foi feita usando o teste de Scott-Knott ao nível de 5%. A análise dialélica foi realizada utilizando-se o programa GENES. Os caracteres morfológicos não permitiram identificar as plantas dos parentais e dos F 1s quanto à reação ao nematóide...

Agronomic characterization and heterosis in watermelon genotypes

“…In watermelon, the commercial exploitation of heterosis was reported by Sapovadiya et al (2013) and Damaceno et al (2016). In Brazil, studies on heterosis in watermelon hybrids are still scarce.…”