A field trial was carried out to study the effect of pre planting soil
biofumigation with air-dried powders of harvesting residues (leaves) of artichoke,
cauliflower, sugar beet, table beet, taro and turnip) and waste residues of oyster
mushroom cultivation (applied at 300g/m2), comparing to the chemical nematicide
fosthiazate 10%G (Nemathorin®) applied at 12.5 kg/feddan for the management of
the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita on tomato plants cv. Alisa.
All treatments greatly managed M. incognita infection on tomato plants.
Numbers of root galls, nematode egg masses, final population (Pf) and reproduction
factor (Rf) in all treatments were significantly reduced as compared to control plants
(infected with nematode only). Treatment with fosthiazate 10% provided the
maximum reduction (91.47%) of nematode infection on tomato plants, followed by
treatments with leaf powders of taro (90.49%), turnip (84.95%), artichoke (82.72%),
table beet (81.37%), cauliflower (79.23%), and sugar beet (76.98%). Treatment with
waste residues of oyster mushroom cultivation recorded the minimum reduction
(67.93%). On the other hand, all treatments significantly increased growth criteria of
tomato plants comparing to the control ones. The increase of total fresh weight was
ranged between 69.4-223.7% and fruit yield per plant was considerably increased
by 134.3-709.9%. It seems that soil biofumigation with plant residues studied herein
may consider a promising and economic strategy in managing root-knot nematode
infection on tomato plants, particularly in programs of non chemical control
practiced in organic farming.