We hypothesized that inducing systemic resistances can contribute to the control of the nematode Rotylenchulus reniformis in pineapple. In greenhouse experiments conducted in Martinique, the pineapple cultivars Smooth Cayenne and MD-2 were treated with methyljasmonate (JAME) and salicylic acid (SA), elicitors of induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). The efficacy of the elicitors was tested by inoculating plantlets grown in individual pots with a monospecific population of R. reniformis reared on Vigna unguiculata. The final nematode populations, 45 days after inoculation on MD-2 treated with JAME were reduced by 67.0% (p ¼ 0.006). Nematode populations on MD-2 plants treated with SA were reduced by 55.8% (p ¼ 0.016). Nematode populations on SC were not reduced by the elicitors. In a second experiment, using split-root systems, JAME was applied to MD-2 plantlets and enzymatic activities involved in plant defense and stress responses were monitored for 14 h after treatment. Additional pots were inoculated with nematodes 24 h after JAME treatment and examined ten days later. Transient stress was observed along with an increase in enzymatic response after inoculation with nematodes. These results showed that the MD-2 was primed through an ISR by JAME. The question now arises whether ISR can be specifically induced only in certain pineapple cultivars. Results are discussed from the perspective of introducing new strategies to manage pineapple nematodes.