In cultivated areas of sugarcane in Northeastern Brazil, soil compaction and infestation of nematodes, mainly Meloidogyne spp., severely restrict crop production. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of four levels of density of soil infested with nematodes of the species M. incognita in the early development of sugarcane variety RB 863129 in greenhouse conditions. Evaluations were carried out 90 days after soil infestation, based on plant height, stalk diameter, number of leaves, root and shoot fresh biomass, shoot dry biomass and number of nematode eggs. The increase in soil compaction level from 1.65 to 1.82 kg dm-3 decreased M. incognita reproduction and increased sugarcane stalk length, but it did not affect the other plant development variables.
Saccharum; root-knot nematode; soil density
