Efficacy of plant oils and garlic cultivation on controlling Meloidogyne incognita infected tomato plants

The efficacy of seven essential plant oils and cultivation of two garlic cultivars: Balady and Sods-40 were evaluated for controlling root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita infecting tomato plants under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. Treatments with essential oils of arugula, camphor, castor, garlic, nigella, onion and sesame resulted in 48.0-92.7% reduction in numbers of root galls/root under laboratory conditions. Similarly, application of these oils resulted in great reductions of 59.2-92.8% and 47.4-89.6% in numbers of root galls and egg-masses/root when oils applied before and after transplanting of tomato seedlings, respectively. The highest reduction (%) of galls, egg-masses and reproduction of M. incognita infecting tomato plants were reached with Nemacure (95.2-98.8%) and garlic oil was best control among the seven tested essential plant oils with 78.0-98.6% reduction. Moreover, a great reduction of nematode galls, egg-masses and juveniles/250 cc soil (93.6-97.5%) was reached on tomato seedlings, which transplanted in soil previously cultivated with either tested garlic cultivars. In the greenhouse experiment, values of reproductive factor (Rf) decreased as a result of garlic oil to reach (0.07- 0.23 and 0.16-0.34) before and after transplanting of tomato seedlings, respectively. Likewise, Rf values were sharply decreased to reach 0.032-0.041 in soil previously cultivated with garlic plants, in the field experiment. Moreover, applications of the seven tested essential plant oils and cultivation of garlic cultivars enhanced plant growth parameters to reach 34.9-80% increase as compared to the check treatment.