Two greenhouse experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the damage caused on Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) by an M2 population of Pratylenchus coffeae, apparently non-pathogenic to coffee. Experiment 1, with 'Catuaí Vermelho' coffee at stage of two leaf pairs and with the initial nematode densities (Pi) of 0; 333; 1,000; 3.000; and 9,000 per plant, demonstrated that M2 can damage young coffee plants, although it is unable to reproduce on coffee roots. Experiment 2, with the same coffee cultivar and nematode densities, but with plants at stage of six leaf pairs, showed that the M2 population was unable to cause damage. Therefore, it was established that M2 is a population of P. coffeae without reproduction on Arabica coffee, which causes damage only in the first generation on young coffee below stages of six leaf pairs.
Aglaonema; densities; diversity; reproductive fitness; root penetration; virulence
