Department of Nematology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (India).
Effect of five soil moisture levels viz., 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4, based upon irrigation water (I.W.)/cumulative pan evaporation (C.P.E.) ratio on root-knot disease of cotton were studied. Results recorded 90 days after inoculation revealed that 1.2 ratio was most conducive for maximum growth of cotton plants. However, root-knot disease incidence in terms of galling and nematode reproduction was also maximum at this level followed by 1.0 ratio. At 0.6 and 1.4 soil moisture levels, root-knot nematode development and growth of cotton plants were adversely affected with more pronounced effect at 1.4 ratio. The reproduction factor of Meloidogync incognita was highest (8.6) at 1.2 followed by 7.5 at 1.0 and lowest (3.1) at 1.4.
Edaphic factors, Gossypium hirsutum, M. incognita, soil moisture
