Nano-mediated Management of Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in Okra: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Crop Protection

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of nanocomposite on plant growth parameters and multiplication of Meloidogyne incognita on okra. All the treatments improved the plant growth parameters in okra and reduced number of galls per root system, egg masses per root system, number of eggs per egg mass and final nematode population in soil except for the treatment with inoculated control (Nematode only). Among all the treatments, the treatment with AgNP @ 50 ppm + ZnONP @ 50 ppm was found to be the best treatment in increasing plant growth parameters while the treatment with carbofuran @ 1.5 g/pot and seeds treated with AgNP @ 50 ppm + ZnONP @ 50 ppm was effective in reducing root galls, egg masses, number of eggs per egg mass and final nematode population in soil. While analysing the biochemical changes, seeds treated with AgNP @ 50 ppm + ZnONP @ 50 ppm had significantly increased nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, total soluble sugar, and total free amino acids contents compared to all the treatments.