Reproduction of Pratylenchus spp. on species of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)

The Eucalyptus genus has several species that present great commercial value, being used for energy and cellulose-paper production and cultivated in several regions of Brazil where nematodes of the genus Pratylenchus occur. Thus, there is a need to know the reaction of eucalyptus species to these nematodes. Plants were inoculated (1,000 specimens/plant) with P. brachyurus or P. zeae, kept separately in two greenhouse experiments for 240 days. A significant difference (P >= 0.05) was observed for nematode number per gram of grass, nematode per 100 cm(3) of soil, and reproduction factor among eucalypt species evaluated for both lesion nematodes. The highest numbers of P. brachyurus per gram of root were observed for the species Eucalyptus phaeotricha, C. citriodora, and E. camaldulenses; while for P. zeae, the species C. torelliana, E. camaldulenses, E. phaeotricha and E. grand's were the ones with the lowest values. The number of nematodes per 100 cm(3) of soil ranged from 168 to 341 for P. brachyurus and 57 to 129 for P. zeae. All evaluated eucalyptus species behaved as susceptible for P. brachyurus (RF= 6.7-13.9) and P. zeae (RF= 2.1-5.3)