Effect of cultural practices on potato cyst nematode population dynamics and potato tuber yield

Abstract

Health concerns related to the use of pesticides are increasing the interest in alternate use of pest and disease control strategies. Accordingly, different cultural practices, viz., trap cropping, soil solarization and nonsolanaceous crops were evaluated for the management of potato cyst nematode during summer 2013-14 and 2014-15. Among the potato cultivars used as trap crop, Kufri Jyoti attracted more PCN juveniles and recorded maximum reduction in cyst population than Kufri Swarna. In the succeeding crop Kufri Girdhari, wherein Kufri Jyoti used as trap crop recorded more yield than Kufri Swarna in both the spacings. In the soil solarisation experiment, minimum PCN reproduction factor (Rf) was recorded in soil solarisation followed by application of neem cake (@ 5 t/ha) in combination with Trichoderma viride (@ 5 kg/ha). The same treatment also produced significantly maximum yield during 2013-14 however, during 2014-15 the yield was found to be on par with soil solarisation + carbofuran (2 kg a.i./ha). All the non-solanaceous crops tested reduced the PCN multiplication ratio. Among different non-solanaceous crops, radish recorded 19.6-21.0% reduction in number of cysts and 12.2-16.2% reduction in number of eggs per cyst. Which was followed by garlic, it recorded 15.9-17.7% and 10.3- 11.6% reduction in number of cysts and eggs respectively, during 2013-14 and 2014-15. Therefore, the above said treatments either alone or in combination can be used to manage the PCN.