Sustainable management of the Southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood, by means of amendments of Fumaria parviflora

Greenhouse and field studies were conducted in the spring and autumn of 2010 to test the efficacy of dry amendments of Fumaria parviflora as a form of eco-friendly management of Meloidogyne incognita in tomato. Various preparations of F. parviflora (in the form of dry root, stem, leaf and whole plant powder) at different dose rates (10, 20 and 30 g per kg of soil) significantly reduced levels of M. incognita in the roots of tomato cv . Rio Grande, and promoted plant growth. The root amendments of F. parviflora at the highest application dose (30 g per kg of soil) were the most effective, significantly reducing the number of galls, the galling index, the egg masses per g of the root, and the adult femal es per g of the root. Shoot and root lengths, the fresh and the dry shoot weight, and the number of branches and flowers per plant were improved in greenhouse trials that were conducted in the spring and autumn. Under naturally infested field conditi ons, the root ́s amendment of F. parviflora at the highest application dose was the most effect ive, and reduced the number of galls, the GI, the number of egg masses per g of root, the adult femal es per gof root, and the reproduction factor (Rf). It also promoted plant, health and increased the number of fruits per plant and the fruit weight per plant in the spring and autumn experiment. Dry amendments of F. parviflora have remarkable nematicidal potential and could be used as an effective and environment-friendly management tool against M. incognita as an alternative to chemical control. © 2015 Friends Science Publishers.

This research, which forms part of the PhD study by Ishrat Naz, was supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, under the indigenous scholarship programme.

Peer reviewed