2.3.2 Evaluation of defence gene expression against M.
incognita infection in tomato
Three week old healthy seedlings of tomato cv Pusa Ruby were
transplanted in six inch plastic pots filed with a mixture of sterilized
soil and 3% bacterial cultures (Bacillus pumilus , B.
megaterium, B. subtilis and B. cereus ) in nutrient broth @
~108cfu/mL, individually. Freshly
hatched second stage juveniles (J2s) of M. incognita were
inoculated @ 2J2s / cc of soil after seven days of transplanting. The
treatments were, T1: Sterilized water (SW), T2: SW +M.
incognita (Mi), T3: B. pumilus , T4: B. pumilus + Mi, T5:B. megaterium , T6: B. megaterium + Mi, T7: B.
subtilis ,T8: B. subtilis + Mi, T9: B. cereus , T10:B. cereus + Mi, T11: Velum prime (VP, Fluopyram, nematicide),
T12: VP + Mi. Plant samples were collected at an interval of 0, 2, 4, 8
& 16 days after inoculation (DAI), carried to the laboratory in the
liquid nitrogen and stored at -80˚C until further use. Expression of
three defense genes (PR1-1b, JERF3 and CAT) was evaluated to observe the
effect of rhizobacteria inoculation on tomato plants.