Induced resistance (IR) is a unique physiological state characterized by reduced plant susceptibility to (a)biotic stress. Our previous studies showed that exogenous foliar application of dehydroascorbate (DHA), the oxidized form of ascorbic acid, induces systemic resistance against root-knot nematodeMeloidogyne graminicolain rice. In the present study, the potential of DHA in protecting rice plants againstM. graminicolawas evaluated in lab, pot, and field studies. In an experiment where the interval between foliar treatment and inoculation was varied, 20 mM DHA was found to protect rice plants fromM. graminicolafor at least 14 days. Pot and field studies confirmed that 10 or 20 mM DHA are highly effective in reducing gall formation and led to a significant increase in rice seed yield. A half dose of DHA (10 mM) combined with another IR-stimulus - piperonylic acid (PA) 300 µM - was at par with DHA 20 mM, leading to reductions in gall formation of more than 80%. In in vitro bioassays, DHA was found to be highly nematicidal to the second-stage juveniles ofM. graminicola, with more than 90% mortality within 3 h of exposure to 10 or 20 mM concentrations. While seed treatment had no effect, root drenching or root dipping was also effective in reducing rice susceptibility toM. graminicola, next to foliar treatment. As a dual-action compound with extended protection and ease of application, DHA has great potential for effective nematode management in rice.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12284-023-00644-1.