Reaction of garlic genotypes to Ditylenchus dipsaci and aspects related to productivity in a naturally infested area

ABSTRACT The stem and bulb nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci, is one of the main problems which affects garlic crop in Brazil; however, information on the host status of the crop to the pathogen is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the host status of 11 garlic genotypes to Ditylenchus dipsaci and their productivity in experiments conducted under controlled conditions and in the field. In a greenhouse, diverse genetic materials were evaluated for nematode reproduction factor (RF). At the same time, the nematode reproduction, damage caused and productivity of these same genotypes were evaluated in an area naturally infested. In the greenhouse, ‘AM-PC Farias’, ‘Quitéria’, ‘BRS Hozan’, ‘Peruano’, ‘Chonan’ and ‘Moz 114’ were resistant; and, under field conditions, in these same genotypes, the nematode showed the lowest rates of reproduction in the soil (RF= 0.2 to 10.77) and in the tissues (1 to 3,893 specimens/plant), and there were the lowest percentages of symptomatic (0 to 48.66%) and dead (4.17 to 19.57%) plants. Higher productivities (4.32 to 11.05 t/ha) and bulb weight (13.12 to 58.63 g) were obtained with ‘AM-PC Farias’, ‘Quitéria’ and ‘AM-Erenice’; however, only in ‘AM-PC Farias’ and in ‘BRS Hozan’ we observed lower population levels of D. dipsaci in bulb peels (110 and 0.1 specimens/g, respectively).