Pasteuria penetrans a pathogen of the genus Heterodera, its effect on nematode biology and control

The bacterial pathogen, Pasteuria penetrans, parasitized larvae of Heterodera species and Meloidogyne incognita. Mass multiplication of the bacterial inoculum was done on root-knot nematode infested brinjal plants. The total life cycle of the bacterium was completed in 49 days at 10–17°C. Amongst the methods of application, direct mixing of bacterial spore infested soil was found to be most effective against the nematode population. Maximum reduction in cyst population was obtained when spore infected soil was incubated at 30°C before application.