Occurrence of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in the Experimental Fields of SCS College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Dhubri, Assam, India

Abstract

Occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes was studied in the experimental fields of SCS College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Dhubri, Assam, during Rabi and Kharif season in 2024-2025. Seventy five numbers of soil and root samples were collected from the root rhizosphere of different vegetable, and plantation crops to study the prevalence and population density of plant parasitic nematodes. The collected samples contained mixed populations of six genera of plant-parasitic nematodes along with free-living, mycophagous and predatory nematodes. Overall, root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus spp.) were the most predominant nematode genera with an incidence of over 95% of the samples. Among all the isolated plant-parasitic nematodes, Meloidogyne incognita was found to be more abundant with prominence value of 153 followed by Helicotylenchus spp. (119.4) and Tylenchorhynchus spp. (71.2). The prominence value of reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) was found to be low (6.4). In sugarcane plantation, frequency of occurrence of lesion nematode (Pratylenchus sp.) was more (85.7%) with 60-200 population density than in other crop. Understanding of the distribution and prevalence of plant-parasitic nematodes along with their population density is of important implications for the successful design of sustainable management strategies in the agricultural system.