~ 895 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2019; 7(6): 895-899 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2019; 7(6): 895-899 © 2019 JEZS Received: 17-09-2019 Accepted: 20-10-2019 V Bindu Priyanka Department of Nematology Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India Niranjan Das Department of Nematology Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India Corresponding Author: V Bindu Priyanka Department of Nematology Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India Effect of bio-agents on management of plant parasitic nematodes infecting bittergourd V Bindu Priyanka and Niranjan Das Abstract A pot culture experiment was conducted to assess the efficacy of certain bioagents on management of plant parasitic nematodes infecting bittergourd. Bittergourd seeds of var. Green long were sown in infested soil in 15cm diameter earthen pots. The pre-incubated bioagents viz. Purpureocillium lilacinum, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Bacillus pumilus and Pseudomonas fluorescens either alone or in combination; FYM and carbofuran were applied to the pot soil as per treatments. Need based irrigation, weeding and other cultural operations were provided. The effect of treatments on growth parameters of bittergourd plants and population of nematodes were observed 45 days after sowing and application of bioagents. It was revealed that combined application of Purpureocillium lilacinum and Pseudomonas fluorescens enhanced the vine length, root length, shoot weight and root weight of bittergourd plants to the tune of 73.3%, 62.5%, 58.0% and 82.3% respectively over untreated control. Population buildup of nematodes was also observed to be more affected by this treatment. The population of root knot nematode, lance nematode, spiral nematode and stunt nematode was reduced by 54.0, 78.1, 75.6 and 84.6% respectively by this treatment from their initial population with overall reduction of 63.1%. Keywords: Efficacy, bioagents, bittergourd and plant parasitic nematode Introduction Bittergourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an important vegetable crop. It is believed to be originated from Tropical Asia, especially from Eastern India and Southern China- Miniraj et al. It is an important commercial cucurbitaceous vegetable with rich source of vitamins, minerals and high dietary fiber. It is widely cultivated throughout India mainly for its tender green fruits. Bitter gourd fruits are rich source of Iron (2mg/100g). It is having disease preventing and health promoting phyto chemical compounds like flavonoids and antioxidants and thus is used in preparation of various herbal medicines. Bittergourd is cultivated in 95,000 ha area with annual production of 10,30,000 MT in India -Horticulture at a glance. The production and productivity of bittergourd seems to be influenced by several pests and diseases including plant parasitic nematodes. Around 13.5% yield loss is attributed to this tiny organism (Walia & Chakrabarty 2018) [18] . The control measures suggested earlier for nematode pests are primarily based on the application of synthetic nematicides which are not only costly, but also having harmful effect on human health and environment. Use of beneficial bioagents is reported to be one of the suitable alternatives to these harmful chemicals. It is not only ecofriendly but also low cost and sustainable approach of nematode management and thus gaining popularity in the recent times. With this backdrop, the present study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of four bioagents alone or in combination along with a chemical check (Carbofuran) and untreated plot (control) for management of parasitic nematodes infecting bittergourd in Odisha condition. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted in net house of the Department of Nematology, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar during 2018-2019 following Complete Randomised Design (CRD) with nine treatments, each replicated three times. The treatments are T1- Purpueocillium lilacinum @ 10mg/pot with 1kg soil,T2- Pochonia chlamydosporia @ 10mg/ pot with 1kg soil,T3- Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10mg/ pot with 1kg soil,T4- Purpureocillium lilacinum + Pseudomonas fluorescens each @ 5mg/ pot with 1kg soil,T5- Pochonia chlamydosporia + Pseudomonas fluorescens each @ 5mg/ pot with 1kg soil,T6- FYM @10g/ pot with 1kg soil, T7- Bacillus pumilus @ 10mg/ pot