Supplementing Pochonia chlamydosporia with botanicals for management of Meloidogyne incognita infesting chickpea

ABSTRACT Root-knot nematodes pose a severe threat to worldwide agricultural development. Due to the high toxicity of chemical nematicides, eco-friendly control strategies against root-knot nematodes need to be established. A pot and in vitro experiment were performed to estimate nematicidal potential of Pochonia chlamydosporia. P. chlamydosporia was used alone or in combination with two botanicals for controlling Meloidogyne incognita in chickpea. The laboratory assessment was performed with four prepared concentrations (S, S/2, S/10, S/25) of fungal inoculum of P. chlamydosporia against egg hatching and second-stage juvenile's mortality of M. incognita. All four concentrations reduced egg hatching and increased mortality of J2s. In pot experiment, P. chlamydosporia was used with chopped leaves of two botanicals viz., Ageratum conyzoides and Eichhornia crassipes against M. incognita in chickpea. All the treatments found significantly suppressed root infestation caused by M. incognita and improved growth and physiological attributes of chickpea. The combined application of P. chlamydosporia + A. conyzoides was found highly effective, and E. crassipes alone was least. Therefore, using P. chlamydosporia with botanicals is a promising sustainable strategy in agriculture against M. incognita infected chickpea.