Screening of Ginger Cultivars for Resistance to Root-knot Nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Abstract

This study evaluated six ginger cultivars to determine their response to the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. The trial was carried out during the 2025 kharif season in the nursery of the Plantation Crop Garden, Biswanath College of Agriculture, AAU, Biswanath Chariali, Assam. A completely randomised design was used, with five replications per cultivar. For each cultivar, one rhizome weighing approximately 5g and carrying one or two healthy buds was planted in a pot; one month later, each plant received freshly hatched second-stage juveniles of M. incognita at 1J2/cc soil. Assessment at two months after inoculation recorded mean gall numbers of 29.2-37.2 per root system and root-knot indices of 3.0-4.0. According to the root-knot index, Moran ada showed a moderately resistant reaction, while Jati ada, Karbianglong ada, Aam ada, Naga ada and Nadia were susceptible. Thus, no cultivar among those evaluated expressed resistance to the root-knot nematode. Where resistant cultivars are unavailable, moderately resistant material may be combined with other environmentally compatible practices as part of integrated management of root-knot nematode infection in ginger.