A. Rice root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne graminicola

Symptoms

Infected Nursery Tip Galls

• Stunted growth of seedlings in nursery and main field.
• Yellowing of foliage, chlorosis and patchiness are common symptoms. .
• Heavily infested plants flower and mature early.
• Reduction in number of tillers.
• Size of earhead and number of grains are reduced .
• Characteristic tip galling or terminal galls on root.
• Adult females and egg masses are developed inside the root.

Note: Nursery seedlings are highly infested. Commonly found in Aerobic and direct seeded rice.

Management

• Flooding of field and keeping the crop always in submerged conditions
• Raising the rice seedlings in flooded soils.
• Crop rotation with non-host crops such as daincha.
• Soil solarization with 25µ LLDP (Low Light Density Polythene) sheets for 3 weeks before preparation of fields.