Biocontrol potential of <i>Trichoderma asperellum</i> MT702882 and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> MZ674530 as dual applications for improved efficacy against root-knot nematode, <i>Meloidogyne incognita</i> infecting tomato in polyhouse

Root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is a serious pest in polyhouses. A management trial on tomato cv. Heemsohna was conducted in two seasons. Two applications (pre-plant and 45 DAT) of nematode-antagonistic PGPMs, Trichoderma asperellum MT702882 and Bacillus subtilis MZ675430, significantly reduced nematode parameters in the soil and roots. An enhancement in chlorophyll a (20.1 and 17.9%), chlorophyll b (28.96 and 9.54%), carotenoid (14.98 and 13.79%), total chlorophyll (20.81 and 18.27%), photosynthetic rate (9.08 and 13.49%), transpiration rate (14.86 and 31.95%) and stomatal conductance (15.7 and 24.5%) was observed after T. asperellum application. The plant growth and fruit quality parameters, viz., ascorbic acid (35.7–57.2%), TSS (7.9–10.8%), titratable acidity (8.3–33.3%), lycopene (22.8–45.0%) and carotenoids (13.8–36.2%), were enhanced with the PGPMs. Velum Prime (Fluopyram, 34.48% SC) reduced the nematode infection parameters significantly, but no enhancement in plant growth, physiological and fruit quality parameters was observed.