Survey and Distribution of Plant Parasitic Nematodes on Tomato at Baruasagar in Jhansi (India)

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is an important high-value vegetable crop and acts as a natural medicine that alleviates the risk of a condition such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Plant parasitic nematodes are obligate biotrophic feeders that cause the most devastating phytoeconomic damage to tomato cultivation across the globe. Their infection may lead to a spectrum of disorders like stunting, necrosis and wilting followed by lessening production. The present investigation embraces an extensive survey work (from October to December 2021) of three tomato crop production sites at Baruasagar in Jhansi and throws light on the presence, distribution and general divergence of parasitic nematodes in soil and root samples. The morphological identification of six genera Meloidogyne, Rotylenchulus, Hoplolaimus, Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus and Criconema was also undertaken in the study. The root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne genus) and lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus genus) were the most abundant PPNs in tomato crops. The study also highlighted the varying physicochemical properties of soil played a significant role in the abundance of nematode genera.