Eco–friendly management of Meloidogyne javanica in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) using organic amendments and bio–control agent

Abstract

Root–knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are the sedentary endoparasites that cause severe yield losses in chickpea. Chemical nematicides are widely used to control root–knot nematodes. These toxic chemicals pollute the soil and water environments and affect human health. The present study aimed to identify a potential bio–organic approach of management of M. javanica in chickpea. A two–year field experiment (2013–2015) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of organic amendments (neem cake, neem seed powder and vermicompost), bio–control agent (Trichoderma harzianum), and chemical nematicides (carbofuran 3G, carbosulfan 25DS) for managing M. javanica in chickpea. The population of M. javanica in control treatment was 6.6 infective juveniles cc−1 soil. Organic amendments and bio–control agent reduced nematode population considerably in comparison to control treatment. Results showed that root galls and gall index were reduced in all the treatments over control, and the maximum reductions were observed in carbofuran 3G and neem cake treatments. Neem cake and carbofuran 3G reduced the root galls by 59% and 62% and gall index by 45% and 58% over control. Neem cake, carbofuran 3G and carbosulfan 25DS treatments resulted in the higher yield of chickpea over control treatment, which was primarily attributed to an increase in plant biomass and number of pods per plant. Chemical nematicides reduced the nodulation as compared to other treatments. Hence, neem cake could be an alternative to toxic chemical nematicides and recommended as eco–friendly management of M. javanica in chickpea.