Evaluation of a Native Strain of Paecilomyces lilacinus Against Meloidogyne incognita in Cowpea followed by Lucerne

A field trial was conducted to investigate the effect of Paecilomyces lilacinus as seed treatment alone or in combination with three kinds oforganic matter and a nematicide on Meloidogyne incognita infecting cowpea. Seed treatment with the fungus P. lilacinus together with the application of organic matters into the nematode infested soil one week prior to the sowing was found to be more effective in reducing the root-knot incidence and increasing the forage yield of cowpea than when used alone. Moreover, their residual effect in reducing the nematode incidence persisted even in the subsequent lucerne crop. Among the different organic matters used, Leuceana leucocephala leaves along with the fungus was found to be the best combination in reducing the nematode incidence and increasing the forage yield of both cowpea and lucerne. In addition, carbofuran as seed treatment in combination with the fungus did not show any adverse effect on the biocontrol efficiency.