Nematicidal Activity of Some Phenolics on Root Knot, Growth and Yield of <i>Capsicum frutescens</i> cv. California Wonder

Abstract

Abstract Free living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was used as a test system for screening anthelmintic phenolics. The most effective concentrations (100, 500 and 1000 μg ml −1 ) were used against root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Effect of these phenolics was determined on growth and development of host plant Capsicum frutescens cv. California Wonder, Second stage juveniles of M. incognita were hatched from egg masses collected from roots of host plant and subjected to similar phenol concentrations for 48 h. Mortality of M. incognita was recorded on the basis of parameters used for test organism bioassay. Both healthy and inoculated plants of C. frutescens cv. California Wonder were treated withsolutions of salicylic acid (SA) and p‐betahydroxy benzoic acid (BA) so that each pot received 100, 500 and 1000 mg phenol. Control plants were supplied with distilled water, Plants were uprooted 21 days after inoculation and roots were gall indexed. Some plants were left in the pots for further growth and development. Surface sterilised seedlings of host plant were raised and inoculated with second stage Juveniles of M. incognita. Thereafter observations were recorded on the vegetative and reproductive parameters of the plants. Drench application of SA and BA were found quite effective with no apparent phytotoxic effect.