Evaluation of botanicals for the management of Meloidogyne incognita infecting carrot and volatile nematicidal metabolite profiling

Abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes infect and cause substantial yield losses in numerous crops. Growing concern over chemical nematicides has attracted attention to safe alternatives. Meloidogyne incognita is one of the plant parasitic nematode species in the tropics and subtropics, which have a drastic economic effect on crops. This nematode is polyphagous, attacking both monocotyledons and dicotyledons crops. This study aimed to investigate the management of M. incognita using six botanical viz., Commelina benghalensis, Evolvulus nummularius, Gomphrena celosioides, Lindenbergia indica, Scoparia dulcis, and Vernonia cinerea under the pots condition. It was found that the pots treated with the amendment of fresh leaves (60 g) of selected botanicals with dried powder 10 g of L. indica efficiently reduced the infestation caused by M. incognita on carrots along with significantly increased growth and biochemical attributes. Out of the six botanicals, GC–MS analysis was performed with the two most effective plants, namely, L. indica and S. dulcis. Results from GC–MS analysis showed various volatile compounds in leaves extract of both plants, out of which phytol was a major compound. Our study concluded that various compounds, along with phytol shown by GC–MS analysis, suppress the infestation of M. incognita and increase the yield of carrots.