Gossypium arboreum Accessions Resistant to Rotylenchulus reniformis

In the southeastern United States, reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) is a serious pest of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), a species which has no naturally occurring resistance against this nematode. To identify sources of reniform nematode resistance in species closely related to upland cotton, 222 G. arboreum accessions from the U.S. germplasm collection were evaluated in repeated growth chamber experiments. In initial screenings, root infection was measured 4 wks after inoculation. The 15 accessions supporting the fewest infections (PI 529992, PI 615755, PI 615766, PI 615788, PI 615848, PI 615856, PI 615950, PI 615977, PI 615991, PI 616008, PI 616016, PI 616062, PI 616126, PI 616159, and A2 553) were evaluated again in confirmation tests lasting 8 wk. The combined totals of nematodes extracted from soil and eggs extracted from roots were analyzed. All 15 accessions tested supported significantly smaller reniform nematode populations than the susceptible controls (G. hirsutum cultivar Deltapine 16 and G. arboreum accession PI 529729). Nine accessions (PI 529992, PI 615755, PI 615766, PI 615788, PI 615856, PI 615950, PI 615991, PI 616008, and PI 616159) supported reniform nematode populations comparable to the resistant control (G. arboreum accession PI 615699), and accession PI 615848 had significantly fewer reniform nematodes than the resistant control. Cotton breeders would benefit from introgressing the newly identified resistance from these accessions into their upland cotton improvement programs.