Abstract

The relationships between the population density of Meloidogyne incognita and damage to test crop have been investigated. Symptoms were more pronounced of damage with ageing of the crop, but indicative only at population levels above that initiated damage. The nature and extent of damage caused by root-knot nematodes, M. incognita to test crop at different inoculum levels of 500, 1000, 2000 and 3,000 larvae per plant was studied, in pot culture. The influence of four initial inoculum densities of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita and plant age on root-knot disease of test crop shows significant reduction in the plant growth parameters and increase of initial inoculum densities increase in root-knots there by increasing nematode population but this increase was inversely proportional with the nematode population which was density dependent which causes competition for nutrition among the developing nematodes within available root system and also due to inability of juveniles of subsequent generation to find infection sites.

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