Effect of soil organic matter content and soil texture on reproduction of Meloidogyne graminicola on rice

Effects of soil organic matter content, pH and soil texture on the reproduction of Meloidogyne graminicola in scented and non-scented rice were evaluated in pot experiments from June to September, 2014. Sterilized soil was inoculated with second stage juveniles (j2) of M. graminicola to give 0, 10, 100, 1000 and 10000 j2/kg of soil. Three types of soil texture classes were observed such as clay loam, sandy loam and loamy sand and the highest reproduction was observed in loamy sand followed by sandy loam and least in clay loam irrespective of inoculum levels. Maximum reproduction was found in loamy sand at inoculum level of 10 j2/kg soil and minimum in clay loam soil at 10000 j2/kg in both types of rice. Population densities of M. graminicola were inversely related to the percentage of sand, silt, and clay. The highest mean soils as well as root population numbers of M. graminicola were observed in loamy sand with organic matter contents of 4% as compared to sandy loam and clay loam.