Influence of Abiotic and Biotic Factors on Growth of Paecilomyces lilacinus, Arthrobotrys oligospora and Pochonia chlamydosporia and Parasitization of Eggs/Trapping of Meloidogyne incognita juveniles

In-vitro studies were conducted on the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on growth of three nematophagous fungi namely, Paecilomyces lilacinus, Arthrobotrys oligospora and Pochonia chlamydosporia. It was found that all the three nematophagous fungi grew well in sandy loam soil and 25°C was found the optimum temperature for their growth. Growth of these fungi was excellent on chickpea pod waste and least on farm yard manure substrate. Egg parasitization of M. incognita by P. lilacinus was 55 to 70% and 85 to 96% by P. chlamydosporia. Trapping of second-stage juveniles (J₂) by A. oligospora showed positive correlation. As many as 79.6 and 87.5% Jwere trapped at the highest density of 500 J₂ after 4 and 8 days of exposure, respectively to A. oligospora.