Effect of Foliar Application of Synthetic Elicitor Molecules on Wheat (Triticum aestivum) against the Cereal Cyst Nematode, Heterodera avenae*

The investigations were carried out to evaluate the response of three synthetic elicitor molecules, namely, DL-â-amino-n butyric acid (BABA) (@ 2000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 μg/ml), Jasmonic acid (JA) and Salicylic acid (SA) (@ 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg/ml) as foliar application on wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop against the cereal cyst nematode, Heterodera avenae. In general, the plant growth parameters (shoot length, shoot weight, root length, root weight) of wheat plant increased with an increase in the concentration of elicitor molecules. However, the plant growth showed variable responses irrespective of the dosage and the type of elicitor molecules. There was negative correlation between the plant growth parameters and the nematode infestation, observed during the foliar application of different molecules, thus increases the tolerance in plants, against H. avenae. Among the three elicitor molecules, BABA @ 8000 μg/ml was highly effective in reducing the nematode penetration (by 74%) and further development of H. avenae and increase in plant growth parameters, followed by JA and SA @200 μg/ml. Thus, these molecules could be further utilized under microplot/field conditions for the management of H. avenae in wheat.