Root Knot Nematodesin India

- A Comprehensive Monograph

Dr. Matiyar Rahaman KhanAssociate Professor

Department of Agricultural EntomologyBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya

Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal-741235, India

Dr. Ramesh K. JainProject Coordinator (AICRP on Nematodes)

Division of NematologyIndian Agricultural Research Institute

Pusa, New Delhi-110012, India

Tushar M. GhuleDepartment of Agricultural EntomologyBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya

Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal-741235, India

Sabyasachi PalDepartment of Agricultural EntomologyBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya

Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal-741235, India

All India Coordinated Research Project onPlant Parasitic Nematodes with Integrated Approach

for their Control Division of Nematology

Indian Agricultural Research InstituteNew Delhi - 110 012

Printed at Venus Printers and Publishers, B62/8, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 028.Mobile: 98100 89097; Email: pawannanda@gmail.com

PrintedFebruary, 2014

Correct citation

M.R. Khan, R.K. Jain, T.M. Ghule and S. Pal (2014) Root knot Nematodes in India-a comprehensive monograph.All India Coordinated Research Project on Plant Parasitic nematodes with Integrated approach for their Control,Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. pp 78 + 29 plates.

© 2014 Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012, India

For details contact

Project CoordinatorAICR (Nematodes)

Indian Agricultural Research InstituteNew Delhi-110012, India

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Preface

Plant parasitic nematodes are potential pathogen of diverse crops. Root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)

are one of key nematode pests affecting large number of crops thereby assuming international significance due

to their economic importance in terms of causing enormous crop loss to agricultural crops. The All India

Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Plant Parasitic Nematode with Integrated Approach for their Control,

a discipline oriented project in operation since 1977, has generated sufficient information on major plant parasitic

nematodes including root knot nematodes. Based on the work done under the aegis of AICRP on Plant Parasitic

Nematode with Integrated Approach for their Control a useful document entitled ‘Economically Important

Plant Parasitic Nematodes Distribution: Atlas’ was published by Directorate of Information and Publication of

Agriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi 110012 during 2010. As one of the mandate of

the project to consolidate research information generated through cooperating centers over the period, this effort

was taken up to collate valuable research information on ‘Root knot nematodes in India’ from AICRP (Nematode)

Centres, SAUs, ICAR institutes, Government Departments, and others institutions to bring out a comprehensive

Monograph. This Monograph contains relevant information on root knot nematodes from India, and some related

information from outside India is also provided. This publication is focused on presenting information in brief

and comprehensive manner to depict the dimension of damage caused by the nematode species and to bank

upon the current knowledge which could be useful to the researchers, students and extension workers. The

overall presentation appeared as a comprehensive Monograph on root knot nematodes in India probably after

112 years of discovery of root knot nematodes from India. The major sections of the book includes brief introduction,

historical background, economic importance and crop loss, symptomatology, interactions with other organisms,

hosts and distribution, morphology and taxonomy, physiological specialization (host races), biochemical and

molecular diagnostics, and management approaches. Further, the field problems of root knot nematodes have

been adequately presented with colour photographs of nematode infestation on various crops. Most prevalent

root knot nematodes viz. Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica, M. arenaria, M. graminicola have been described with

clear illustrations for identification of species and races. Further detailed morphology of citrus root knot nematode

(M. indica) infesting citrus and bt cotton in Gujarat has been provided for better understanding of the species. The

outcome of the basic researches on root knot nematodes under the banner of AICRP (Nematode) carried out at

Kalyani Centre has been updated pertaining to the species and sub-species (race) information and their distribution

across the country. The list of root knot nematode species reported from India along with their distribution and

present taxonomic status has been documented. The gaps in our current knowledge on the species diversity of

the genus Meloidogyne is apparent from the report of a mere 14 Meloidogyne species from our country out of a total

97 known species worldwide. The knowledge on number of races of different Meloidogyne spp. is also in a state of

flux. At the Kalyani Centre of AICRP (Nematodes), new races have been identified through traditional methodology

and have been detailed in this monograph.

We express our sincere gratitude to all the scientists working in the AICRP on Plant Parasitic Nematodes

with Integrated Approach for their Control, crop-based Nematologists at the ICAR institutes, SAUs, State-aided

Universities, and Government Departments among the others for providing useful information without which

this important work could not have been accomplished.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr Pranjib Kumar Chakrabarty, Assistant Director General (Plant

Protection), ICAR, New Delhi, for critically going through the manuscript as well as making the suggestions for

further improving the quality of the monograph.

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We are grateful to Dr. Chitreshwar Sen, Professor of Plant Pathology (Retd), Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, West Bengal for critically going through the manuscript and giving valuable suggestions.The co-operation and help received from all the cooperating centers of AICRP-Nematodes for providing thesamples for basic studies on root knot nematodes and also in bringing out this Monograph is thankfullyacknowledged.

M.R. KhanR.K. Jain

T.M. Ghule

S. Pal

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Contents

S.No. Chapters Page Nos.

1. Introduction 1

2. Historical background 2

3. Economic importance and crop losses 3

4. Symptomatology 4

5. Interactions with other organisms 5-8

6. Hosts and Distribution 9-19Speceis infecting crops in India

7. Taxonomy 20Morphology 21-26Physiological specialization 26-30Biochemical 30-31Molecular 32-34

8. Management ApproachesCultural methods 35-37Host plant resistance 37Biological control 38-40Chemical control 40-41

Integrated management 41-42

9. Case Histories 43-44

10. AICRP (Nematodes) - Achievements 45-46

11. References 47-76