Effect of soil solarization, rabbing, nematicides and green manuring on growth and development of bidi tobacco seedlings, root-knot disease, weeds and phytonematodes in nursery*

Soil solarization, rabbing, dazomet, phenamiphos, subufos and carbofuran significantly increased fresh weight of 100 seedlings and number of transplants at 40 days after seeding (DAS) over control. In general, soil solarization, sebufos and phenamiphos yielded more transplants. Number of weeds was significantly reduced by soil solarization, rabbing and dazomet over control. The treatment of soil solarization, dazomet, sebufos, and phenamiphos significantly reduced root-knot index over control. Dazomet proved the best in suppressing the population of stunt, root-knot and reniform nematodes till the end (62 DAS), while soil solarization, rabbing, sebufos, phenamiphos and carbofuran found to reduce the population of the nematodes at seeding. Green manuring of sunnhemp and ekkad harboured higher population of the nematodes than control at seeding.