Evaluation of neem and other plant products as seed coating against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Race-1) infesting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

A pot experiment was carried out in an eco-friendly manner to observe the nematicidal efficacy of various plant products viz. neem seed powder, neem seed cake, fresh and dried leaves of Calotropis procera, fresh and dried leaves of Datura metel, and latex of Calotropis procera as seed coating. All the treatments were found to be effective in managing root-knot nematode infestation upto significant level and were superior over check. Maximum increase in shoot-length and shoot-weight, root-length and root-weight was observed with the seed coating of latex of Calotropis procera @ 10 % w/w, which was followed by fresh leaves of Datura metel and Calotropis procera at 10% concentration.