Evaluation of trap crop, Solanum sisymbriifolium and antagonistic crops against potato cyst nematodes, Globodera spp

The potato cyst nematodes are the most wilful and difficult to manage pests of potato crop. Due to the regulatory considerations and potential risk involved in environmental and health hazards, the options for controlling this nematode are becoming increasingly limited. Among the available management options, trap and antagonistic crops offer viable alternative for controlling PCN species. Therefore the present experiments were conducted to determine the effect of locally available nematode trap crop, Solanum sisymbriifolium and antagonistic crops against potato cyst nematodes. Initially, S. sisymbriifolium was evaluated for its trap crop potential against PCN and the results showed that S. sisymbriifolium acts as a resistant crop for both the species of PCN, as no females were observed on the roots of the trap crop up to the end of the crop season. In addition to this, in the subsequent season negligible populations of PCN females with improved plant growth parameters were observed in susceptible potato cv. Kufri Jyoti. In another experiment, its efficiency was compared with antagonistic crop species viz., Tagetes patula (marigold), Allium sativum (garlic) and Brassica juncea (mustard) on the population decline of PCN. From the study, it was observed that minimum populations of both the species of PCN (0.6 and 33.4 female's plant−1 respectively) were supported in two succeeding seasons of susceptible potato cultivar where S. sisymbriifolium was grown in the preceding season which was followed by marigold, garlic and mustard-based sequences. Therefore, S. sisymbriifolium can be used as a potential trap crop for the management of PCN; however, future studies on its suitability in field conditions are required for its effective utilization under field condition for the management of this nematode.