Relationship of Pasteuria penetrans spore encumberance on juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita and their infection in adults

Investigation of the relationship of Pasteuria penetrans spore encumberance of juvenile Meloidogyne incognita and their infection in adults revealed that infection of P. penetrans occurred only in 20 and 28 percent of females in tomato root system developed from the J[sub2] encumbered with one and two spores of this bio-agent, respectively. Infection by P. penetrans occurred in 64% of females of root-knot nematodes developed from the J[sub2] encumbered with 8-12 spores of P. penetrans. Hence, it is necessary to infect nematode juveniles with several spores of P. penetrans to have optimum encumberance to ensure high infection rates of females.