Nitrogen management in common bean cultivars in soil infected by Meloidogyne incognita

The selection of an appropriate nitrogen (N) source can mitigate the negative effect of root-knot nematodes on the yield of common beans. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to assess the application efficiency of four N sources (urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and sodium nitrate) and inoculation with Rhizobium tropici on the yield components, chlorophyll, and total nitrogen (N) leaf contents of four common bean cultivars (IDR Curió, IDR Sabiá, IDR Tuiuiú, and IDR Bem-te-vi). These beans were cultivated in substrates both infected and uninfected with Meloidogyne incognita. In the soil containing phytonematodes, the IDR Curió cultivar exhibited the highest shoot and root dry weight yield, resulting in the greatest root volume, total N content, and grain yield. Among the N sources, the application of either urea or ammonium sulfate proved the most effective in enhancing common bean productivity in soil, irrespective of the cultivar or whether the soil was infected with Meloidogyne incognita.