This study aimed to evaluate the tolerance of five tomato varieties naturally infested with Meloidogyne spp. nematodes under controlled conditions in Mocuba District, Mozambique. The experiment was conducted in two phases: the first in an experimental field and the second at the Laboratory of Microbiology, Phytopathology, and Agricultural Entomology of the Faculty of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering (FEAF), Mocuba, where laboratory analyses were performed. The experiment followed a completely randomized design, consisting of five varieties with four replicates per treatment. The following parameters were evaluated: nematode genus identification and the most prevalent developmental stage, galling index, number of symptomatic leaves, stem diameter, plant height, and variety yield. Statistical analyses were performed using STATISTIX 10 software. Residual normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, homogeneity of variances was evaluated using Levene’s test, and means were compared using Tukey’s test at a 5 % significance level. A higher occurrence of Meloidogyneat the second-stage juvenile (J2), while the genus Tylenchus occurred at a lower frequency. The Cherry variety was considered immune to nematode infestation, whereas the Rio Grande variety exhibited a low infection rate, characterized by few root galls and foliar symptoms, while maintaining high yield under the soil conditions of the study area. Growth characteristics, including plant height and stem diameter, did not differ significantly among varieties as a function of the observed level of infection.
