Efficacy of Seed Crop Meals for the Management of Columbia Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne chitwoodi on Tomato Under Greenhouse Conditions

Abstract

Efficacy of oilcakes from soybean, cotton, sesame and rapeseed on the Columbia root-knot nematode Meloidogyne chitwoodi on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was investigated under green house conditions. All crop meal amendments significantly increased foliar fresh and dry weights, compared to the unamended control. Rapeseed meal or sesame meal at all application rates and soybean meal at 4.94 tons/ha application rate produced symptoms and incidence of phytotoxicity. Application of meals at all rates consistently reduced nematode populations compared to the unamended check (P = 0.05), with the exception of rapeseed meal at 1.24 tons/ha. Soybean meal at 1.24 or 2.47 tons/ha resulted in the highest amount of fresh foliage and the lowest numbers of M. chitwoodi in soil and in root tissue compared to unamended soil and soil amended with rapeseed, cotton, or sesame meals.