EFFECT OF SOIL SOLARIZATION ANDORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON ROOT-KNOT NEMATODEMANAGEMENT IN TOMATO NURSERY

Abstract

Afield experiment was conducted at farmers field during may 2009 in Salem district to 
study the effect of soil solarization with organic amendments as a method of root-knot 
nematode and weed management in tomato nursery bed. Solarization of nursery beds using 300 
gauge transparent polyethylene sheets was carried out with various amendments to study the 
performance of tomato seedlings. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with 
11 treatments replicated thrice. The treatments included, solarization for four weeks with four 
different amendments viz., vermicompost, poultry manure, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), neem 
cake and castor cake along with non solarized control and solarization without amendment. In 
four treatments, Azospirillum was inoculated two days after the polythene sheet removal. The 
study was carried out during May, 2016. The results of the experiment revealed that solarization 
treatment with vermicompost followed by solarization with poultry manure and neem cake were 
found to be effective in increasing the soil temperature in all depths and on all days of 
observation. Similarly, the least values for root knot nematode population was recorded in the 
solarization treatment with neem cake. The performance of tomato seedlings was superior 
under solarization with vermicompost along with Azospirillumtreatment followed by 
solarization with vermicompost alone. This was comparable with solarization with neem cake 
along with Azospirillum. Solarized seedlings with vermicompost and Azospirillum inoculation 
attained the transplanting stage 15 days earlier when compared to control.