Effect of different fungal bio-agents on plant growth and yield attributes of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita under field condition

The experimental trial was carried out in the Department of Nematology at the Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur, during the Rabi season in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. The prime goal was to address the effects of different fungal bio-agents on tomato plant growth and yield attributes in challenged with the root-knot nematode (RKN). The trial followed to randomized block design (RBD) consisted seven treatments viz.,Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, Purpureocillim lilacinum, Metarhizium anisopliae and Baeuveria bassiana as soil application (SA) at 5 kg/ha and seedling treatment (ST) at 5 g/L of water and carbofuran 3G 2 kg /ha as well as untreated check were also maintained with four replications. All the treatments significantly improved the plant growth parameter and yield as compared to untreated check. However, significant reduction in nematode population and maximum improvement in plant growth parameters was recorded with carbofuran followed by bio-agents. The results revealed that among different promising fungal bio-control agents tested, the highest biometric parameters like, shoot length (69.62 cm), fresh shoot weight (53.50 g), root length (37.87 cm), fresh root weight (27.87 g), yield (34.26 kg/3×4 plot). In addition, the promising module mitigating nematodereproduction like, no. of galls per plant (61.25), no. of egg masses per plant (55.50), no. of eggs & larvae per egg mass (174.12),nematode population per 200 cc soil (960.37), final nematode population (soil + plant) (10686.78), root gall index (1-5 scale). Thereproductive factor (Rf) (22.32) was recorded in T. harzianum as SA at 5 kg/ha and ST at 5 g/lit of water (pooled data of 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively) followed by T. viride and P. lilacinum in both years.