THE EFFECT OF COW-DUNG AND CHICKEN DROPPINGS IN THE CONTROL OF ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES (Meloidogyne incognita) OF TOMATO (Solanum Lycopersicum L.)

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world. It
belongs to the family Solanaceae also called night shade family. It grows well in the tropics,
especially in humid lowland regions. Over sixty species of plant parasitic nematodes attack
tomato but the most destructive nematodes responsible for enormous yield loss are the root-knot
nematodes, belonging to the genus Meloidogyne. In the present study, the nematicidal potentials
of cow dung and chicken droppings on root-knot nematode of tomato (Meloidogyne incognita)
were assessed. Greenhouse experiment was conducted to test the efficacy of cow dung and
chicken droppings in controlling the effects of root-knot nematode on tomato individually and in
combination in sterilized soils. Three weeks old tomato seedlings raised in sterilized soil were
inoculated with 10 egg masses of Meloidogyne incognita each. The treatments were arranged in
a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter,
root length, number of galls and number of nematodes in soil and roots were determined. The
results obtained revealed that chicken droppings significantly improved the growth parameters of
tomato and effectively reduced the population of nematode compared to cow dung treatment or
their combination. Plants treated with cow dung also had better growth parameters than those
with combined treatments, but recorded more nematode population than the combined treatment.
Combined treatments of cow dung and chicken droppings had a synergetic effect in reducing
nematode population even though they had an antagonistic effect on growth parameters of the
plant. It could be deduced that chicken droppings has a controlling effect on the root-knot
nematode of tomato and hence could be utilized by farmers to avert yield losses in tomato farms.
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