Root knot nematodes menace in vegetable crops and their management in India: A Review

Abstract

Vegetables are chief constituents of Indian diet and play a pivotal role in ensuring nutritional and livelihood security to the increasing Indian population. However, vegetable production is seriously hampered by several biotic stresses, which pose huge challenge to meet future demands of Indian population. Among several biotic stresses, root knot nematodes (RKN) are major threat to vegetable production. Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are obligate, sedentary root endoparasite and belong to one of the most economically important groups of plant-parasitic nematode genera. Besides the direct damage, root knot nematodes act as predisposing agent for the entry of soil borne fungal and bacterial pathogens and aggravate the problem still further leading to development of disease complexes. Although the management of this nematode pest is largely done using chemical nematicides however, phase out of these nematicides due to its toxic hazard on human beings as well as environment, the problem of root knot nematodes intensified and become a major stumbling block for successful cultivation of vegetable crops in open field as well as protected cultivation. Thus, in this review an attempt has been made to comprehend the multitude of cultural, physical, biological, chemical and genetics-based methods for the management of root knot nematodes in vegetable crops with special reference to India.