root-knots. The life cycle comprises the eggs, four juvenile stages and adult male or female. Eggs are enclosed in gelatinous egg sacs that are usually deposited on the surface of galled roots. The first moult occurs within the egg giving rise to the second-stage juvenile (J2), which is the infective stage. Three other moults occur within the roots allowing the nematode to go through the stages J3, J4, and adults (Karssen and Moens, 2006). The species M. enterolobii was detected for the first time in Brazil in the states of Pernambuco and Bahia, causing severe damages in guava orchards (Carneiro and Almeida, 2001). In vegetables, it was detected for the first time in the state of São Paulo, parasitizing green pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivar Silver and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars ' Andrea' and 'Debora', all known to be resistant to M. incognita and M. javanica (Carneiro et al., 2006). This ability of M. enterolobii to parasite plants resistant to other species of Meloidogyne makes it a difficult-to-control nematode (Bitencourt and Silva, 2010). This species presents a wide polyphagia and highly aggressive behavior for most vegetable species in comparison to M. incognita and M. javanica (Pinheiro and Pereira, 2012). Cultivars of tomato and pepper that have resistance to M. incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria carry the Mi gene that gives the plant a hypersensitivity reaction (HR) causing histological changes, such as cell death near the infection site (Dropkin, 1969). This usually occurs 12 hours after attempted infection. However, the resistance conferred by the Mi-1 gene is unstable and can be compromised by soil temperatures above 28°C (Dropkin, 1969). In addition, there are species and races of Meloidogyne that have the ability to break the resistance conferred by the Mi gene, which makes