Influence of Pratylenchus coffeae and Meloidogyne incognita on the Fusarium wilt complex of Banana.

Abstract

A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the influence of Pratylenchus coffeae and Meloidogyne incognita alone and in combination on the Fusarium wilt complex of banana in cv. Rasthali. The results of the study revealed that the plants receiving inoculum of anyone of the nematodes or both inoculated first followed by the wilt fungus resulted in the early onset and increased severity of the Fusarium wilt disease. Inoculation of fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense alone showed moderate effect on plant growth. However, maximum reduction of plant growth parameters was observed in plants inoculated with all the three pathogens together (F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense, P. coffeae and M. incognita) suggesting a positive interaction among the three tested pathogens.