Effect of different types of soils on multiplication of Radopholus similis and growth of coconut seedlings

The influence of different soil types viz. laterite, riverine alluvium, coastal alluvium (Coastal sand), loamy sand and reclaimed marshy or ‘Kari’ soil on multiplication of Radopholus similis and growth of coconut seedlings was studied. Best growth of uninoculated seedlings was recoded in riverine alluvium followed by the laterite soil. Plant growth was poor in reclaimed marshy soil with maximum per cent clay, silt and a minimum of coarse sand with a pH of 4.1. In inoculated plants the maximum plant damage was recorded in riverine alluvium followed by loamy sand and coastal sand and the least in laterite soil. Maximum nematode multiplication was obtaind from loamy sand followed by riverine alluvium and the least in ‘Kari’ soil.