Studies on the effect of organic amendments on fusarium wilt of potato*

Soil amendments viz. crop straws (gram, soyabean, gwar, pigeon pea), green manures (maize, dhaincha, sanai, bajra, eucalyptus leaves), oil cakes (mustard, cotton seed, groundnut) and other organic chemicals (cellulose, gelatin) were evaluated for their suppressive effect on Fusarium wilt of potato. Amongst crop straws, gram and pigeon pea showed maximum suppressive effect on F. oxysporum population; maize and eucalyptus leaves amongst green manures and groundnut cake amongst the cakes. Cellulose was slightly inferior to groundnut cake. Reductlon in wilt index also followed the fungus population trend, Crop straws were better over other amendments. All the amendments excepting gelatin, increased organic C, available N and CEC which in turn might have affected the fungal population and thereby the wilt.