Prevention and Control of Root-Knot Disease of Mulberry Plants Using Bioagents Amaranth Plants:Improving Sericulture by Protecting Climate Health, Health and Development

Abstract

Root-knot nematodes, causing root-knot disease, infest almost all kinds of cash and vegetable-crops affecting economy of the world. In this paper our best endeavour as to focus on the prevention and control of root-not disease using edible bioagents Amaranth which has important economic implications for sericulture industry. In a field (0.72 ha) amaranth naturally infested with Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood was intercropped with mulberry to determine the effects on nematode populations and quality of mulberry leaves for silkworm production. The nematode population varied from 1579-1632 per 200 g of soil and 820-955 per 2 g of roots. Fields were divided into two groups and each group had six plots, viz., monoculture plots and intercropped plots. Amaranths were planted in between every two mulberry plants in the intercropped plots. Silkworm larvae were fed with the mulberry leaves of monoculture and intercropped plots. Of the two plant species, amaranth receives maximum infection of root-knot disease. Silkworm larvae feeding on the leaves of intercropped plots showed improved growth, shell weight and shell ratio, fewer feeding to cocoon formation and 2% mortality rate. These results suggest that root-knot disease can be easily and effectively controlled by the use of amaranth plants as "trap crop" for root-knot nematodes intercropped with mulberry plants in the naturally root-knot infested field increasing silk production. As intercrop amaranth could be harvested at frequent intervals to keep the nematode population to a minimum level. This way amaranth could serve as highly effective and beneficial to the farmers in protecting other crops from invading nematode larvae as well as by controlling root-knot nematodes in the naturally infected sericultural field, and also through buying and selling of the edible amaranth plant regularly from the intercropped sericultural field. Intercropped amaranth also improves the plant growth effectively which 192 directly increases photosynthesis rate and significantly and reduces CO₂ in the environment. It would not only be easier way, easily available and cheap but also conserves our biodiversity which will eventually contribute towards "Sustainable Climate, Health and Development".