Biological Control of Meloidogyne incognita on Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

M. Aminisarteshnizi

Background and Objective: Pseudomonas fluorescens is an essential group of growth-promoting bacteria that can directly or indirectly improve plant growth. Several studies showed they could limit or suppress root-knot nematode. In this study, the effect of ten Iranian isolates of P. fluorescens (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10) was assessed on eggplant growth parameters and the management of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) under greenhouse condition. Materials and Methods: The M. incognita was reared in tomato seedlings. The bacteria inoculum was reared in tryptic soy broth. Hydrogen cyanide and protease were assessed on the plate (9 cm diameter) include King B and Skim Milk Agar (SMA), respectively, in a dark situation. The greenhouse experiment was done to evaluate the effect of P. fluorescens isolates on M. incognita and plant parameters. The data was analyzed statistically using SAS software. Results: Eggplant seedlings were inoculated with ten P. fluorescens isolates in the presence or absence of M. incognita. The result displayed P. fluorescens isolate M₁ significantly improved the plant growth parameters and reduced the nematode reproductive factors for M. incognita associated with eggplant. In vitro results showed that isolates M₁, M₃, M₆ and M₇ caused significantly (p<0.05) more nematode mortality than the other isolates and the control. Conclusion: Based on the present study result, P. fluorescens isolate M₁ seems to be the best applicant for improving the growth and biological control of M. incognita in eggplant crops under greenhouse situations.

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