Abstract

COLEUS FORSKOHLII: BIOMANAGEMENT OF ROOT KNOT NEMATODE BY BIOCONTROL FUNGI

*Lily Trivedi and P. C. Trivedi

Abstract

Meloidogyne incognita (Root-knot nematode) is an important pest on Coleus forskohlii in India. Nematode diseases are serious because they attack the roots of Coleus, which are the source of drug of commerce. The tubers possess medicinal properties and significantly rich source of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The active ingredient (forskolin) a labdane diterpene, is an adenylyl cyclase activator and cAMP stimulator, used in research studies by medical professionals and pharmacologists. Investigations were carried using different strains of biocontrol fungi along with some market formulations to evaluate their plant growth promoting and antinematicidal properties. Plant growth characters like shoot and root length, shoot and root weight, number of tubers, tuber length and Root Knot Index per plant were studied. Among the different strains of biocontrol fungi and the locally isolated strains of biocontrol fungi T. harzianum 2 (Jaipur) and Paecilomyces gave best results and were equally effective to their screened commercial market formulations. There was an increase in plant growth characters, tuber yield and reduction in root knot disease, over untreated plants, presenting a safe, economic and efficient method for managing root knot disease on Coleus forskohlii.

Keywords: Coleus forskohlii, Meloidogyne incognita, Root-knot nematode, Biocontrol fungi, Plant growth characters.