Rhizome Treatment - An Economically Feasible Nematode Management Strategy for Kacholam

The experiment was conducted under microplot condition in College of Agriculture, Vellayani to manage root-knot nematode on kacholam using bioagents, botanicals and hot water treatment (55°C for 5 min.) as rhizome treatment. Among the treatments the use of talc based formulation of plant growth promoting rhizo bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 3 per cent w/w recorded the lowest nematode population (78 per cent reduction) and highest rhizome yield. Rhizome treatment with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi containing mixed cultures of Glomus fasciculatum and G. monosporum with an infective propagule count of 100/g of inoculum also found effective in reducing the nematode population (63 per cent) and increasing the yield (93 percent).