Evaluation of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) accessions for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita

The breeding of pest and disease resistant varieties is one of many strategies of improving kenaf production, but it is vital to identify cultivars with resistance prior to breeding for resistant varieties. In 2013, ten kenaf accessions were screened for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in a potted experiment laid out in completely randomized design pending field trials. Seeds of kenaf accessions were sown into polypots filled with 10 kg of steam-sterilized soil. Each kenaf seedling was inoculated with 10,000 eggs of M. incognita at three weeks after sowing. At nine weeks after inoculation (WAI), data were collected on plant height, number of leaves, gall index, final nematode population (Pf), and reproductive factor (RF) and analyzed with ANOVA. Host resistance status was assigned to the kenaf accessions using Canto-Saenz. NHC-16 had the highest height of 112.2 cm, whereas NHC-40 had the highest number of leaves (41.6). Best growth was observed in NHC-16, NHC-40 and NHC-400. The lowest Pf and RF of 61760 and 6.1 respectively were obtained in NHC-28. All the kenaf accessions were all susceptible to                M. incognita, but NHC-28 showed slight susceptibility. Pending the discovery of more resistant kenaf genotypes, NHC-28 is therefore recommended for field trials.