J. Hallmann et Ra. Sikora, INFLUENCE OF FUSARIUM-OXYSPORUM, A MUTUALISTIC FUNGAL ENDOPHYTE, ON MELOIDOGYNE-INCOGNITA INFECTION OF TOMATO, Zeitschrift fur Pflanzenkrankheiten und Pflanzenschutz, 101(5), 1994, pp. 475-481
Tomato plants were inoculated with a non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum
strain (Sacc.) Snyd. & Hans. and 3 weeks later with Meloidogyne incog
nita Kofoid & White second-stage juveniles. M. incognita reproduction
in F. oxysporum-colonized tomato plants was reduced 50% over F. oxyspo
rum-free plants. Plant growth was not affected except at high nematode
densities, where root weight, but not root length, decreased in F. ox
ysporum-colonizes plants. Presumably, this was due to increased number
s and sizes of nematode-induced galls in F. oxysporum-free roots. The
non-pathogenic isolate of F. oxysporum was frequently reisolated from
cortical tissue of surface-sterilized tomato roots. Fungal colonizatio
n of young root tissue was also confirmed.