Management of the Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne incognita on Tomato Plants by Pre-Planting Soil Biofumigation with Harvesting Residues of Some Winter Crops and Waste Residues of Oyster Mushroom Cultivation under Field Conditions Amr A.

Abstract

A field trial was carried out to study the effect of pre planting soilbiofumigation with air-dried powders of harvesting residues (leaves) of artichoke,cauliflower, sugar beet, table beet, taro and turnip) and waste residues of oystermushroom cultivation (applied at 300g/m2), comparing to the chemical nematicidefosthiazate 10%G (Nemathorin®) applied at 12.5 kg/feddan for the management ofthe root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita on tomato plants cv. Alisa.All treatments greatly managed M. incognita infection on tomato plants.Numbers of root galls, nematode egg masses, final population (Pf) and reproductionfactor (Rf) in all treatments were significantly reduced as compared to control plants(infected with nematode only). Treatment with fosthiazate 10% provided themaximum reduction (91.47%) of nematode infection on tomato plants, followed bytreatments with leaf powders of taro (90.49%), turnip (84.95%), artichoke (82.72%),table beet (81.37%), cauliflower (79.23%), and sugar beet (76.98%). Treatment withwaste residues of oyster mushroom cultivation recorded the minimum reduction(67.93%). On the other hand, all treatments significantly increased growth criteria oftomato plants comparing to the control ones. The increase of total fresh weight wasranged between 69.4-223.7% and fruit yield per plant was considerably increasedby 134.3-709.9%. It seems that soil biofumigation with plant residues studied hereinmay consider a promising and economic strategy in managing root-knot nematodeinfection on tomato plants, particularly in programs of non chemical controlpracticed in organic farming.