Study of Nematocidal Activities of the Culture Filtrate of the Nematophagous Fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus Isolates

Three isolates of Paecilomyces lilacinus (PlA#1, PlA#2 and PlK#01) were investigated for their enzymatic activities on different solid media. All fungal strains P. lilacinus exhibited polysacchrolytic, proteolytic and lipolytic activities on various specific agar medium. Crude culture extracts obtained from liquid culture of P. lilacinus strains, incubated for 7 days, 14 days and 21 days were tested for larvicidal effect against second stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita after incubation for 24, 48 and 72 hrs. After incubation, culture extract of all strains exhibited larvicidal effect against M. incognita juveniles. P. lilacinus strain PIA#1 exhibited highest percentage of mortality and PIK#01 exhibited lowest percentage of mortality of M. incognita juveniles after 72 hrs. corresponding to incubation of 14 days. Enzymatic extract of P. lilacinus stains were screened semi quantitatively for proteolytic activities on casein Agar and gelatin Agar while to assessed the chitinolytic activities, chitin agar was used. Highest proteolytic activity was estimated 9 days after incubation in extract of 14 days old culture of P. lilacinus strains PIA#1. 2.5 cm diameter of degradation halo was recorded 5 days after incubation on chitin agar.