Efficacy of Steinernema carpocapsae STSLU formulations against Meloidogyne incognita in tomato

2-year experiment was conducted to test the efficacy of formulated entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae STSLU against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita in Tomato. Two treatments namely, water dispersible granules (WDG) and Sponge bits@ 2 × 104 IJs/kg soil were evaluated and compared with recommended nematicide (carbofuran 3G @ 2 kg a.i./ha) in M. incognita infested field. The initial nematode population (INP) was recorded as 604 and 659 larvae/200 cc soil during 1st and 2nd year, respectively. After four months, the observations were recorded on nematode population i.e. number of galls/plant, number of egg-mass/plant, number of eggs and larvae/egg-mass, nematode population/200 cc soil and crop yield parameters viz., yield/plot and yield/hectare were recorded. Experimental results showed that application of S. carpocapsae STSLU significantly enhanced plant growth characters and reduced nematode reproduction. Minimum galls/plant (57.88), egg-mass/plant (20.63), eggs and larvae/egg-mass (112.88), larvae/200 cc soil (527.13) and maximum yield (118.88 q) were recorded with the application of sponge bit formulation @ 2 X 104 IJs/kg soil over untreated control.