Management of root-knot disease of tomato by the application of fly ash in soil |
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| Authors: | M R KHAN M W KHAN & K SINGH |
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| Institution: | Institute of Agriculture;, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002, India |
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| Abstract: | The effects of fly ash at different concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30 … 100% vol./vol. in soil) on plant growth and yield were investigated in tomato plants infected or noninfected with root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (2000 juveniles per plant) in clay pots. An increase in fly ash concentration in the soil correspondingly increased the availability of carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphate, chlorides, B, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu and Zn in the soil. The porosity, water-holding capacity, pH, conductivity and cation exchange capacity also increased progressively in the fly ash amended soil. Ash application enhanced plant growth, leaf pigment concentrations, fruit production, weight of fruit/plant and mean fruit weight of both nematode-infected and noninfected tomato plants, being maximum in the soil containing 50 or 60% fly ash. The yield enhancements were 93.6 (infected plants) and 84% (noninfected plants) at 50 and 60% fly ash levels, respectively. Fly ash treatments adversely affected root invasion by juveniles, disease intensity and reproduction of the nematodes. A gradual increase in the ash concentration in soil caused a corresponding decrease in the numbers of invading juveniles, galls and egg masses per root system and eggs/egg mass, being lowest at 100% fly ash i.e. 52, 16, 10 and 81 against 289, 137, 131 and 238 (control), respectively. Linear regression suggested 40% fly ash as the most economic level, enhancing yield of infected plants by 96% and suppressing the nematode disease and reproduction by 63 and 76%, respectively. |
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