Effect of organic amendments on fungal parasitism of Meloidogyne incognita eggs and growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) cv. Moneymaker

Abstract

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of organic amendments and captafol on the parasitic potential of Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson against Meloidogyne incognita in sterile field soil. Tomato cv. Moneymaker plants were used as a host. Organic matter from Tagetes minuta L., Ricinus communis L. and Datura strammonium L. stimulated egg parasitism, while the fungicide captafol inhibited it. Galling intensity and the population of juveniles were significantly lower in soils amended with organic matter. However, no significant differences were detected among the different organic additives. The amended soils supported plants with significantly heavier shoots and roots. The implications of these results on the management of root‐knot nematodes are discussed.

Keywords:

• organic matter
• egg parasitism
• Meloidogyne incognita
• biological control
• Paecilomyces lilacinus
• Kenya