Biointensive Management of Meloidogyne incognita and Macrophomina phaseolina Disease Complex in Medicinal Coleus

Field studies were conducted in medicinal coleus at farmers fields to study the effect of integrated nematode management strategy (INMS) alone and along with biointensive disease management strategy (BDMS) for the management of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita induced root rot disease caused by M. phaseolina. INMS practice includes dipping of stem cuttings in Psuedomonas fluorescens (strain Pf1) + growing marigold as intercrop and their biomass incorporation during earthing up. BDMS practice evaluated was soil drenching with P. fluorescens (strain PfC6) @ 2.5 kg/ha at planting, 30, 60,90 and 120 days after planting. INMS along with BDMS treatment increased the tuber yield by 40.6% and reduced nematode infestation in terms of mean number of juveniles per 100 cc soil (73.2%), mean number of adult females per g of root (82.4%), mean number of eggmass/g root (85.9%), mean number of eggs per g of root (87.9%) with least gall index (1.6). This treatment also decreased the incidence of M. phaseolina root rot disease up to 50.4%. Effect of this treatment on M. incognita, M. phaseolina and root tuber yield of medicinal coleus was almost equal to that of the treatment of INMS. But the later is highly economical with lesser BC ratio than other treatments including standard chemical check i.e. carbofuran 3G @ 1 kg a.i./ha + soil drenching with carbendazim 0.1%. Hence it could be concluded that treatment of INMS i.e. stem cuttings dipping in 0.1% P. fluorescens + marigold intercropping can be commercially exploited for the management of M. incognita and M. phaseolina disease complex in medicinal coleus.