RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INITIAL INOCULUM DENSITY OF MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA AND GROWTH, PHYSIOLOGY AND OIL YIELD OF OCIMUM KILIMANDSCHARICUM

Abstract

In pot experiments a negative correlation was observed between various initial inoculum densities of Meloidogyne incognita and fresh/dry weight, oil yield, photosynthetic rate, total chlorophyll, sugars, phenols and root-knot development in Ocimum kilimandscharicum. The greatest reduction in all growth parameters occurred in plants inoculated with the highest inoculum density of M. incognita (16,000 J[sub2]/7.5 kg soil). The highest reproduction factor (45.85) occurred in plants inoculated with 5000 J[sub2]/7.5 kg soil.