Reaction of Five Forage Legumes to Meloidogyne hapla. C. B. Willis, Research Scientist, Agriculture Canada, Research Station, P. O. Box 1210, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, C1A 7M8, Canada. Plant Dis. 65:149-150. Copyright 1981 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-65-149.

Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, crown vetch, red clover, and sainfoin are susceptible to the northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla. Sainfoin is the most susceptible and crown vetch the least susceptible. In one test all sainfoin plants were killed within 108 days after inoculation with M. hapla, but no mortality was observed in the other legumes. Forage yields from alfalfa, red clover, and sainfoin were reduced significantly by M. hapla infestation. Red clover and alfalfa generally supported larger numbers of M. hapla than birdsfoot trefoil and may be responsible for increasing nematode numbers in crop rotations in eastern Canada.