Investigating the control of tobacco root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita by rugby and nemacurenematicides

Root knot nematodesMeloidogyne spp. are important parasitic nematodes of tobacco in almost all tobacco-growing areas. Application of non-volatile nematicides is one of the effective means of root knot nematode control. In this study, in the years 2008 and 2009, the effect of nematicides Rugby 10G(Cadusafos) and Nemacure 10G(Fenamiphos) was applied to control root knot nematode in infested tobacco field in Tagartapeh area of Golestan province in the north of Iran. The Experimental design was completely randomized block with 20 treatmentsand 4 replications. Treatments included two nematicide at concentrations 40, 60 and 80 Kg/ha and each nematicides was applied at three different times: before, synchronized and after transplanting seedlings of tobacco cultivar Virginia Coker 347.The experimentalso involved nema infested soil (no nematicide) and no infesed(vapam treated) soil ascontrol. Initial populations of nematode were assayed bychecking soil samples of each plot.After 2 times of harvesting, nematodes were extracted from soil(Jenkines, 1964) and root(Coolen, 1979) and the number of nematodes in root and soil,gall index, reproduction factor(Rf) was counted.The growth factors(fresh and dry weight of leaves, height of plant, fresh and dry weight of root,length of root), sugar and nicotine percent,income and terms of average price were measured and data were analyzed with MSTAT-C program. The results showed that treatments weresignificantlydifferent (P<0.1) from the control(check), but the fresh and dry weights and Sugar and Nicotine percent were not significantly different. It was also revealed that treatments of vapam and nemacure 80 Kg/ha(before transplanting) resulted in reduction of population of eggs and (J2) whereas in the controls, the nematode population increased. On the basis of overall results, concentrationsof 80 Kg/ha of each of the nematicides had the best efficiency in controlling the disease and that Nemacure was a more effective nematicide than Rugby.