The Effect of Ethrel (2 Chloroethane Phosphonic Acid) On the Pathogenicity of the Root Knot Nematode Meloidogyne Javanica 1)

The effect of the growth-regulating agent ethrel - a synthetic precursor of ethylene in plant tissue - was examined on tomato seedlings infected with the root knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. The chemical was found to increase the fresh weight of plant galls induced by the nematode in a linear correlation with its dosage levels. The effect of ethrel on root knot nematode pathogenicity was most manifest at a soil temperature of 20° C and during maturation of the female within the gall. It is suggested that ethylene is related to the pathogenic processes induced by the root knot nematode.