Effect of some botanicals for the management of plant-parasitic nematodes and soil-inhabiting fungi infesting chickpea

A field experiment was conducted during 2009-2011 at the University Agricultural Research Farm to evaluate the efficacious nature of some botanicals such as Argemone mexicana, Calotropis procera, Solanum xanthocarpum, and Eichhornia echinulata in combination with normal as well as deep ploughing against plant-parasitic nematodes and soil-inhabiting fungi infesting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivar K-850 in relation to its growth characteristics. Significant reduction was observed in the multiplication of plant-parasitic nematodes Meloidogyne incognita, Rotylenchulus reniformis, Tylenchorhynchus brassicae, and Helicotylenchus indicus and in the frequency of parasitic fungi such as Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Phyllosticta phaseolina, and Sclerotium rolfsii by the application of botanicals to soil. However, the frequency of saprophytic fungi Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride, and Penicillium digitatum was significantly increased. Much improvement was observed in growth parameters like plant weight, per cent pollen fertility, pod numbers, root nodulation, nitrate reductase activity, and chlorophyll content in leaves. Depth of ploughing also influenced the population of plant-parasitic nematodes and the frequency of soil-inhabiting fungi in chickpea crop.