Management of plant parasitic nematodes in tomato through chemicals and organic amendments

The investigations were undertaken to work out cumulative effect of seven insecticides (cartafhydrochloride, fipronil, methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, carbofuran and dazomet) against nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita, Helicotylenchus dihystera and Tylenchorhynchus mashhoodi) in tomato through nursery soil treatment (granular/dust formulations) + bare-root dip treatment of transplanting seedlings (EC/WSP/SP formulations) + field soil treatment (granular/dust formulations). Besides three oilseed cakes (neem, mustard and cottonseed) and three systemic insecticides (thiomethoxam, dimethoate and oxy-methyl demeton) were also evaluated for their efficacy through organic amendments of field soil and bare-root dip treatment of transplanting seedlings respectively. All the seven insecticides with their successive treatments (in nursery soil + root dip treatments + field soil treatment) were found highly effective in reducing the nematode populations, root-galling and increasing the crop yield with superiority of dazomet. Chemical bareroot dip treatment (with thiomethoxam, dimethoate and oxy-methyl dematon) proved second best treatment in restricting the nematode multiplication while soil amendment practice with three oilcakes (neem, mustard and cotton seed) was rated third in efficacy. In comparison to control all the treatments tested were considerably effective against the nematodes.