Response of Cowpea Breeding Lines and Cultivars to Meloidogyne incognita and M. arenaria.

Twenty-four cowpea breeding lines and four cultivars were tested for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in the greenhouse. Gall and egg mass ratings indicated a range of responses from susceptible to highly resistant. Five breeding lines - VS84-2, VS84-8, VS84-12, VS84-14, and VS84-22 - and the cultivar Erectset had gall and egg mass ratings comparable to the M. incognita-resistant cultivar Mississippi Silver. All of these were also resistant to M. arenaria. Significantly fewer M. incognita juveniles were found in roots of resistant than in roots of susceptible plants at 7 and 21 days after inoculation; however, no differences were found at 14 days.