Influence of the mutualistic endophyte Fusarium oxysporum 162 on Meloidogyne incognita attraction and invasion

The non-pathogenic endophytic Fusarium oxysporum strain 162 (FO162) has been selected for its capacity to reduce root-knot nematode galling on tomato. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of this fungus on invasion of tomato roots by Meloidogyne incognita. The number of M. incognita that invaded roots of plants treated with FO162 was significantly lower (reductions of 36.0-55.9%) than in the non-treated controls in linked twin-pot chambers. The results demonstrated that colonisation of the roots by FO162 affects the number of M. incognita that penetrate the roots. The results of a choice test in the absence of a plant indicated that the tomato root exudates collected from plants colonised by FO162 are either less attractive or they exude substances that have repellent activity toward M. incognita juveniles.