EFFECT OF DIFFERENT BOTANICALS AND COW DUNG ON ROOT- KNOT NEMATODES (MELOIDOGYNE SPP) ON TOMATO PLANT

ABSTRACT

 Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentus) is one of the most popular vegetable crops worldwide, owing to its high nutritive value and diversified use. Tomato production in Gambia is threatened by plant parasitic nematodes, especially the root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), which are responsible for huge economic yield losses. The losses, however, can be averted through use of botanicals. Screen house experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of cow dung and different botanicals separately and in combination in the control of root-knot nematode of tomato. Equal quantities of cow dung, botanical and their combination were separately made up to 200g with sterile soil. Two weeks old seedlings of tomato raised in nursery trays were transplanted into soil with treatments mixture and inoculated with eleven (11) second stage larvae of Meloidogyne spp. The experiment was Randomized Complete Block Design replicated three times and effects assessed based on plant height, stem girth, fruiting, fresh weigh, dry weight, extent of galling and the nematode multiplication factor. Results obtained showed that cow dung, botanicals and their combination produced significantly higher result than the untreated control. Similarly, the mixture of botanicals i.e.200g neem, 100g neem plus100g eucalyptus and 100g groundnut shell had a direct effect in drastically decreasing nematodes population. 

Key words: Meloidogyne spp, Lycopersicon esculentus, Screenhouse, 

                     botanicals, inoculate.

By   Famara Jaiteh