Teak (
Tectona grandis
) is originated from Asia, and was introduced in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in
the decade of 1970. The analysis of roots collected from Nova Maringá, Mato Grosso state, revealed the
presence of the nematode
Meloidogyne javanica
,that was confirmed by morphometric perineal features of females. The females were extracted from egg masses of teak roots and the nematode was maintained in
tomato plants. Because no information is available about this pathosystem, the objective of this study was
to evaluate the pathogenicity of
Meloidogyne javanica on teak plants. This study showed, that in controlled
conditions, teak is a susceptible host to the nematode because the reproduction factor (Pf =final population
of nematodes/ Pi) varied from 2.6 to 27. Moreover, the nematode is a teak plant pathogen, because the
plants exhibited pronounced symptoms of nutrients deficiency.
