ECO-FRIENDLY MANAGEMENT OF DIFFERENT DE-OILED CAKES AGAINST ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE, MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA ON TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICON L.).

The present study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of de-oiled cakes against root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) on tomatoes. The de-oiled cakes of Castor, Mahua, Karanja, Mustard and Neem were added to the soil @ 2.5 and 5 g/kg soil. Each treatment was replicated three times. The untreated check was also maintained for comparison. Plants of tomato were harvested after 60 days of transplanting and the observations on plant growth characteristics and nematode reproduction were recorded. Soil application of Neem cake @ 5 g/kg soil was found superior treatment by improving plant growth characters [shoot length (43.22 cm), shoot weight (18.33 g), root length (22.14 cm), and root weight (8.57 g)] and reducing the reproduction of root-knot nematode [No. of galls/plant (12.21), No. of egg masses/plant (14.12), No. of eggs and larvae/egg mass (74.33), nematode juvenile/200 cc soil (220.67), and total nematode population in soil (2952.21)] followed by Neem cake @ 2.5 g/kg soil, Mustard cake @ 5 g/kg soil and Castor cake @ 5 g/kg soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]