Suppression of Meloidogyne javanica on cucumber by Pochonia chlamydosporia var. chlamydosporia and Purpureocillium lilacinum compared to biofumigation, soil amendment and solarisation

A study was carried out to evaluate the potential of two antagonist fungi, biofumigation, soil amendment and solarization to control M. javanica. Pots were inoculated with suspensions of Pochonia chlamydosporium var. chlamydoporium and/or Purpureocillium lilacinum to provide 1 × 104 spores/g soil and 2 × 106 spores/g soil respectively. Canola cake and green leaves of oilseed Canola Brassica napus each at 1% w/w rate were incorporated into infested soil; half of the biofumigant pots were solarized. All pots were planted with cucumber and inoculated with 5 eggs of M. javanica/ g soil of the nematode. Both fungi showed potential as biocontrol agent by infecting nearly 36% of the new eggs on roots, so decreasing nematode multiplication and increasing cucumber weight. In Pochonia treatment, number of galls and eggs were reduced to 50 and 4.2 eggs/ g soil whereas 141.1 and 12.3 were recorded in nematode control respectively. All non-chemical treatments reduced root galling by between 56 and 78% and final egg density by 35% to 83%. The effects of combined solarization and biofumigation were greater than for each one alone, as gall and final egg population were 62.4 and 6.7/ g soil in biofumigant pots, which were reduced to 31.1 and 2 in combined treatments respectively. All methods promoted the growth of cucumber. The results offer some positive measures for biocontrol agents and none-chemical methods to be considered for an integrated nematode management strategy.