During 2015 summer season, relationship between the root-knot nematode
damage (root galling) and growth and yield of soybean was studied in a field of
sandy soil naturally infected with Meloidogyne arenaria for showing the effect of
nematode infection on soybean yield. At soybean harvest, about 100 plants were
randomly selected for assaying their root galling (damage) and yield. Top shoot
weight and seed yield were negatively correlated with nematode damage with highly
correlation coefficient (r) – 0.97 in case of shoot weight and-0.96 in case of seed
yield. Observed loss in the top shoot weight was 36.47% and was 44.7% in seed
yield at severely damage (GI-5). While the expected loss was 38.7% and 46.5% for
shoot and seed yield, respectively.