Efficacy of Selected Local Fungal Isolates in the Management of Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Kenya

A.N. Kariuki, J.W. Waceke and M. Mwangi

Background and Objective: Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are a serious threat to tomato production causing 30-100% yield loss in Kenya. Effective management of nematodes primarily depend on the chemical nematicides, which are expensive, a health hazard and can pollute the environment. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the selected fungal isolates in managing root knot nematodes on tomatoes under greenhouse and field conditions. Materials and Methods: Field and greenhouse experiments were set up from January-July, 2019 to evaluate the efficacy of local fungal isolates against Root Knot Nematodes (RKN) on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The treatments included local Trichoderma harzianum, T. afroharzianum and Purpureocillium lilacinum isolates, Bionematon^® and untreated control. Greenhouse trials arranged in Completely Randomized Design replicated four times while the field experiments were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replicates. The inoculum was obtained from galled tomato roots using root maceration technique. Data on growth and nematode disease parameters were recorded. The data was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SAS software and separation of means done using Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at 95% confidence level. Results: The results showed consistent significant (p<0.05) effects on measured parameters in both greenhouse and field. The treatments had significantly lower mean galling and egg mass indices (>2.5) than the control (>2.7). The treatments had an RF 1 indicating no multiplication compared to >2 in control. The isolates were noted to increase plant height by above 10%, while the dry weight and yield increased by at least 20 and 50%, respectively over the untreated. Overall, the isolates (T. harzianum, T. afroharzianum and P. lilacinum) performed equally as the Bionematon^®. Conclusion: These results concluded that indigenous fungal isolates are effective bio-control agents for managing RKN on tomato and can therefore be recommended to farmers.

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