The behaviour of ten different weed species belonging to Amaranthaceae, Commelinaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae and Euphorbiaceae in relation to the root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita race 4 and M. javanica was studied under greenhouse conditions. Evaluations were carried out 50 days after the nematode inoculations, by means of gall and egg masses indexes observed in the root systems and through the determination of height and/or top dry weight of the plants. Alternanthera ficoidea and Ipomoea acuminate were considered highly suscetible to both nematode species; Amaranthus hybridus var. patul us and Commelina virgunica were tolerant to the arasites whereas Euphorbia heterophylla showed low susceptibility; Acanthospernum hispidum was conside red moderately suscetible to M. javanica and highly resistant to M. incognita race 4; all other weeds - Blainvillea rhomboidea, Croton glandulosus, Emilia sonchifolia and Tagetes minuta - were highly resistant to the nematodes.
weed hosts; root-knot nematodes