Abstract
Pot culture experiments were carried out to study the interactive effect of root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita and the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum in Gerbera, Gerbera jamesonii Hook. Sequential and concomitant inoculation of the nematode and fungus was done to observe the disease severity in the plants due to the individual effect and interactive effect of nematode and fungus. It was observed from the study that the wilt disease was found to be more severe with the sequential inoculation of nematodes followed by fungus than with the fungus alone treatment. From the study, it was clear that nematodes act as a predisposer in the spread of secondary fungal pathogens. Key words: Gerbera, Meloidogyne incognita, Fusarium oxysporum.
Highlights
Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Hook) is a popular cutflower widely used as a decorative garden plant
Studies observed from the interaction in various crops revealed that nematodes predisposed the plants to the secondary infection by the fungal pathogens which were in agreement with the present study
Concomitant and sequential inoculation of nematodes and fungus resulted in the aggravation of wilt disease severity in gerbera compared with their individual inoculation
Summary
Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Hook) is a popular cutflower widely used as a decorative garden plant. In India, there is an increase in demand for this cutflower which is fetching one of the important commercial trades in agriculture Growing of this cutflower has emerged as a high tech activity under controlled climatic conditions inside the green house. The crop is affected by several biotic stresses among which the most significant damage is caused by the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne species. These nematodes are polyphagous in nature and can be controlled only by integrated management practices. Nagesh and Reddy (2000) estimated the yield loss in gerbera due to Meloidogyne incognita infection as 31.1% Another important biotic stress to which the crop exposed is the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. Controlled climatic condition in the green house favours the development of F. oxysporum in gerbera and cause severe economic loss to the farmers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
