Host suitability in soybean cultivars for the reniform nematode, 2000 tests

In greenhouse pot experiments during summer 2000, 118 soybean cultivars were tested to determine their suitability as hosts for the reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis. The cultivars included 115 new entries into the Arkansas and Mississippi soybean variety testing programs and three entries submitted by an extension nematologist from Texas. Also included in the tests were the R. reniformis-resistant cultivars Forrest and Hartwig, the susceptible cultivar Braxton, and fallow R. reniformis-infested soil that served as controls. Total number of eggs and nematodes extracted from both the soil and roots from each pot and reproductive indices (Pf/Pi) were calculated for each cultivar. The ratio of the Pf/Pi of each cultivar to the Pf/Pi of Forrest (RF), and the log ratio[log(10) (RF + 1)], are reported. Cultivars with reproductive indices that were greater than the reproductive index on Forrest were considered to be suitable hosts for R. reniformis. These data will be useful in the selection of soybean cultivars to use in rotation with cotton or other susceptible crops to help control the reniform nematode.