Abstract
Experiments were carried out to study the effect of two fungal bioagents along with mustard oil cake and furadan against root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita infecting tomato under greenhouse condition. Bioagents viz., Paecilomyces lilacinus and Trichoderma viride alone or in combination with mustard cake and furadan promoted plant growth, reduced number of galls/plant, egg masses/root system and eggs/egg mass. The fungal bioagents along with mustard cake and nematicide showed least nematodes reproduction factor as compared to untreated infested soil.
Keywords: Management, Bioagents, Vegetables, Oilseed cake, Nematicides
INTRODUCTION
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill.), an important vegetable crop is heavily attacked by root knot nematode, Meloidogyne spp. For the management of root knot nematodes although chemical nematicides were used till 1982, due to their high cost, toxic effect on beneficial soil borne microorganism and carcinogenic effect on human beings alternative approaches are practiced mainly through eco-friendly means like biological control agents, organic amendments, etc. (Singh and Sitaramaiah, 1966). The present investigation was thus undertaken to attempt an eco-friendly management of root knot nematode infecting tomato through integrating potential and compatible management components viz. fungal bioagents (Goswami et al., 2005; Pandey et al., 2005), oil seed cake (Singh and Sitaramaiah, 1966) and furadan (Goswami and Mishra, 1994).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tomato plants showing heavy infestations of root knot nematode were collected from farmers’ vegetable fields at different location in and around Delhi and Uttar Pradesh of India showed a number of associated fungi on the egg masses. The fungal floras were isolated, identified and maintained at (25±2) °C in biological oxygen demand (BOD) incubator. Out of which two fungal bioagents viz. Paecilomyces lilacinus and Trichoderma viride were multiplied in mass culture by solid based fermentor for the production of talc based formulations, which were used for further study.
The field trial was carried out in nematode sick plot having 2 larvae/g soil at experimental field IIVR, Varanasi. The experimental fields were divided in twelve microplots (1 m×1 m) with three furrows. Mustard cake was used at 500 kg/ha, which was allowed to be decomposed through constantly watering for 3 weeks in each of the furrows. After three weeks talc based formulation of P. lilacinus, Trichoderma viride at 1 kg/ha was also applied while furadan was applied at 2.5 kg/ha, simultaneously. Four-week old healthy seedlings of tomato cv. Pusa Ruby were transplanted singly into each microplot at three plants per furrow.
The treatments used were (1) mustard cake (Mc) alone at 100 kg/ha, (2) Trichoderma viride alone at 1 kg/ha, (3) P. lilacinus alone at 1 kg/ha, (4) furadan, alone at 2.5 kg/ha, (5) Trichoderma viride at 0.5 kg/ha+mustard cake at 50 kg/ha, (6) P. lilacinus at 0.5 kg/ha+mustard cake at 50 kg/ha, (7) Trichoderma viride at 0.5 kg/ha+furadan at 1.25 kg/ha, (8) P. lilacinus at 0.5 kg/ha+furadan at 1.25 kg/ha, (9) Trichoderma viride at 0.33 g/ha+P. lilacinus at 0.33 g/ha+mustard cake at 50 kg/ha, (10) Trichoderma viride at 0.33 g/ha+P. lilacinus at 0.33 g/ha+mustard cake at 33.3 kg/ha+furadan at 0.83 kg/ha, (11) nematode alone at 2 larvae per gram soil, and (12) control. Three replicates were maintained for each treatment of the above.
Observations on plant growth, number of galls/plants, number of egg masses/plant, number of eggs/egg mass and nematode population in soil were recoded after 60 d.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Effect on plant growth
The root length and weight significantly increased where plants were treated with P. lilacinus and T. viride in combination with mustard cake and furadan. There were no remarkable differences in root length when both fungi were applied alone. The root growth reduced in untreated infested soil as compared to control. Root weight was not found significantly different when both fungi were applied with mustard oil seed cake and furadan (Table 1). Both of the bioagents P. lilacinus and T. viride along with mustard oil seed cake and furadan significantly promoted the shoot growth of plants. Both fungi when used concomitantly with mustard oil seed cake also helped in boosting shoot growth significantly as compared to other treatments (Table 1).
Table 1.
Effect of Paecilomyces lilacinus, Trichoderma viride in combination with mustard cake/furadan on plant growth of tomato inoculated with Meloidogyne incognita
| Treatment | Root length (cm) | Root weight (g) |
Shoot length (cm) | Shoot weight (g) |
||||
| Fresh | Dry | Total | Fresh | Dry | Total | |||
| Mc+N | 22.10 | 6.24 | 1.46 | 7.70 | 10.90 | 21.38 | 14.95 | 36.33 |
| Pl+N | 21.23 | 6.68 | 1.55 | 8.23 | 12.07 | 23.75 | 19.25 | 43.00 |
| Tv+N | 22.21 | 6.83 | 1.47 | 8.30 | 11.20 | 21.31 | 15.25 | 36.56 |
| F+N | 19.63 | 6.20 | 1.40 | 7.60 | 9.46 | 21.10 | 14.95 | 36.05 |
| N | 12.01 | 4.61 | 1.33 | 5.94 | 8.85 | 12.73 | 10.15 | 22.88 |
| Mc+Pl+N | 13.96 | 6.80 | 1.43 | 8.23 | 10.23 | 20.13 | 14.05 | 34.18 |
| Mc+Pl+F+N | 17.60 | 6.76 | 1.50 | 8.26 | 11.25 | 22.96 | 17.03 | 39.99 |
| Tv+F+N | 13.06 | 6.00 | 1.31 | 7.31 | 10.81 | 21.01 | 14.65 | 35.66 |
| Mc+Tv+N | 18.15 | 6.98 | 1.56 | 8.54 | 12.13 | 21.71 | 15.15 | 36.86 |
| Mc+Tv+Pl+N | 24.00 | 7.20 | 1.96 | 9.16 | 22.66 | 23.65 | 17.26 | 40.91 |
| Mc+Tv+Pl+F+N | 23.15 | 7.55 | 2.08 | 9.63 | 18.46 | 24.95 | 20.25 | 45.20 |
| Control |
21.75 |
7.98 |
2.11 |
10.09 |
20.93 |
26.68 |
22.01 |
48.69 |
| LSD (P<0.05) | 1.036 | 0.054 | 0.406 | − | 1.580 | 0.642 | 0.520 | − |
Note: Mc=Mustard cake, Pl=P. lilacinus, Tv=T. viride, F=Furadan and N=Nematodes
Effect on nematode population
Maximum reduction in root galling as was also the soil population, occurred in soil treated with both fungi in combination with mustard cake. T. viride used alone responded least as compared to P. lilacinus which was also observed by Khan and Goswami (2000). Mustard cake also showed adverse effect on root nodulation. There was no significant difference in number of galls obtained in soil when treated either with fungi, mustard cake and furadan. On the other hand the soil treated with both bioagents in combination with mustard cake exhibited most outstanding performance (Table 2).
Table 2.
Effect of Paecilomyces lilacinus, Trichoderma viride in combination with mustard cake/furadan on nematode population, egg masses, eggs/egg mass, larvae, females and reproduction factor of Meloidogyne incognita
| Treatment | No. of galls/plants | No. of egg masses/root system | No. of eggs/egg mass | No. of larvae/200 g soil | No. of females/5 g root | Total | Rf=pf/pi |
| Mc+N | 32.67 | 50.00 | 122.33 | 84.00 | 50.00 | 134.00 | 1.11 |
| Pl+N | 24.00 | 39.00 | 118.00 | 45.33 | 37.67 | 83.00 | 0.69 |
| Tv+N | 17.67 | 28.67 | 107.67 | 50.67 | 45.00 | 95.67 | 0.79 |
| F+N | 21.67 | 26.33 | 114.00 | 37.67 | 32.00 | 69.67 | 0.58 |
| N | 76.33 | 59.33 | 142.00 | 157.33 | 57.00 | 214.00 | 1.78 |
| Mc+Pl+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | − |
| Mc+Pl+F+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | − |
| Tv+F+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | − |
| Mc+Tv+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | − |
| Mc+Tv+Pl+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.67 | 2.00 | 5.67 | 0.48 |
| Mc+Tv+Pl+F+N | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | − |
| Control |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
− |
| LSD (P<0.05) | 5.050 | 4.013 | 5.694 | 6.872 | 4.424 | − | − |
Note: Mc=Mustard cake, Pl=P. lilacinus, Tv=T. viride, F=Furadan and N=Nematodes
Effect on development of egg masses, eggs/egg mass, larvae and females
Both bioagents when added together with mustard cake showed significant suppression of the egg masses per root system. The egg/egg mass was also observed to be reduced as compared to the control. Significant reductions were also found in the egg masses treatment with P. lilacinus alone when compared to soil treatment with T. viride alone (Table 2). Similarly, there was no significant difference in number of larvae per 200 g soils, adult female in soil treated with P. lilacinus and furadan alone (Table 2). The fungi used in combination also increased the plants growth (Goswami and Singh, 2004). Both the fungi along with mustard cake and furadan showed least reproduction factor (0.0) as compared to untreated infested soil (1.783). Goswami (1993) obtained significant reduction in root gall index where soil was treated with P. lilacinus with castor leaves and fertilizer.
Effect on nematodes reproduction
Both fungi viz., P. lilacinus and T. viride to which was added mustard cake clearly shaved no significant effect of addition of chemical nematicide furadan as compared to the treatment where the bioagents were either used alone or when all the components including furadan were used together. The present investigation thus clearly shows the significant performance of the cumulative effect by oil seed cake and both the bioagents (one egg parasitic/opportunistic—P. lilacinus and the other toxic, T. viride) as the best opportunity in reducing the nematode population while improving plant health. This promises an ideal integration of management components against soil borne diseases like root knot nematode and also soil borne diseases, which are under study. All the three management components in the study viz. are eco-friendly economic and easy to apply by farmers.
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