Effect of interaction between Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus fasciculatum) and root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) on tomato

It was evident from the interaction study that AM fungus (Glomus fasciculatum) inoculated ten days prior to root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) resulted significant increase in shoot length (21.5%), root length (29.4%), fresh shoot weight (47.8%), fresh root weight (23.0%), dry shoot weight (73.2%), dry root weight (73.9%), number of branches (44.7%), root volume (34.4%) and phosphorus content of plants (55.5%) over uninoculated check followed by the treatment receiving simultaneous inoculation of G. fasciculatum and M. incognita. G. fasciculatum inoculated simultaneously as well as ten days prior to M. incognita exhibiting increased root colonization (39.0% & 61.0%) and multiplication of chlamydospore (8.4 & 10.8) with reduced reproductive growth of M. incognita (0.77 & 0.26) and number of root galls (12.50 & 5.25), respectively in tomato considered G. fasciculatum as potential nematode inhibitor. Hence, reciprocal interrelationship was noticed between M. incognita and G. fasciculatum depending on the early establishment of either M. incognita or G. fasciculatum in tomato root.