NEMATODES AND ROOT SYSTEM ARE AFFECTED BY RHIZOBACTERIAL CONSORTIUM IN THE THIRD GENERATION OF COMMERCIAL BANANA PLANTS

Rhizobacteria has shown promising results in managing nematodes and improving the root system of banana plants. However, their effects on commercial banana plants in different generations remain unclear. In this study performed under field experiment, we evaluated the effect of three types (injection, edaphic and foliar) of a local rhizobacterial consortium application on the system root, nematode populations, and their damage in the third-generation plants. Only mother and daughter plants were treated twice with the rhizobacteria. Plants not treated with rhizobacteria constituted the control treatment. Our results show that rhizobacteria affect different underground tissues and nematodes in third-generation banana plants. Helicotylenchus spp., Meloidogyne spp., Pratylenchus spp., Radopholus similis, and Rhabditis spp. were the nematodes found in banana roots. R. similis population and the damage in the root system of banana plants were reduced significantly by the rhizobacteria edaphic application. The application of rhizobacteria could be a sustainable management strategy over time to improve the root system and suppress nematodes, and their damage in commercial banana plants.