The effect of four herbal compounds on root-knot nematode of kiwi

Root-knot nematodes damage is one of the major problems in kiwifruit production in northern Iran. This research was carried out to investigate the possibility of using dried leaves of four plants to manage kiwifruit root-knot nematode.

The soil and roots of diseased kiwifruit from the gardens of Rudsar City, Gilan Province, Iran were sampled and their root knot nematode was purified using the single egg mass method on the early Urbana tomato variety. The morphological characteristics of nematode second stage larvae and females were examined and nematode species were identified. By using the single egg mass technique, the necessary nematode population was reared on the early Urbana tomato. The effect of dry leaves of chrysanthemum, parsley, guava and oleander in two rates of 50 and 75 grams per kilogram of soil was evaluated in greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replicates for each treatment on nematode-inoculated kiwi seedlings of Hayward cultivar. Nematode-related indices (number of galls, egg mass, eggs and J2s in 250 g of soil and reproductive factor) and plant growth characteristics (seedling height; root length and volume; fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots) were measured.

The root- knot nematode causing the disease in this region was identified as Meloidogyne incognita. In addition to controlling the nematode, the treatments used improved the growth of the kiwi seedlings. The results of the mean comparison of data showed that the treatment of 75 g of chrysanthemum leaves had a greater effect on reducing nematode population indices than other treatments. The next effective treatments were chrysanthemum at the rate of 50g, parsley at the rate of 75g, parsley at the rate of 50g, oleander at the rate of 75g, oleander at the rate of 50g, guava at the rate of 75g and guava at the rate of 50g, respectively. Treatment with 75 g of chrysanthemums also had the greatest effect on improving the growth rate of tomato seedlings.

Adding 75g of dry chrysanthemum leaves to each kilogram of soil will help reduce root nematode damage and improve the growth of kiwi seedlings.