Relative Efficacy of Bacillus spp. in the Management of Meloidogyne incognita on Tomato

Experiments were conducted under controlled glasshouse conditions (30±2°C) to determine the relative efficacy of five indigenous isolates of Bacillus spp against M. incognita on tomato. The results of the experiments revealed that all the isolates of Bacillus spp made into talc formulation (2.5–3X10⁸cfu/g) were effective to check root knot nematode and to enhance the plant growth characters of tomato. The nematode inhibitory effects of tested Bacillus spp were found to be positively correlated with the dosage (1-5g/plant) of Bacillus spp evaluated in the present study. The relative biocontrol efficacy of the tested endophytic Bacillus spp are in the order of B. weihenstephanensis (TSB4), B. cereus (CLB2D), B. subtilis (TSB5), B.cereus (TSB4D) and B. licheniformis (TSB3). The most effective talc formulated endophyte of B. weihenstephanensis (TSB4)@ 5g/plant caused highest reduction in nematode population in soil (56.74%) and root (67.76%), number of egg masses (69.13%), eggs/egg mass (55.25%) and gall index (76.25%) and increased fruit yield of tomato by 50.30 per cent over untreated control.