HOST STATUS OF GUFFAL (COMMIPHORA WIGHTII (ARNOTT) BHANDARI) TO ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatic plants have a great potential for treatments of several chronic diseases of man and animal (Atal & Kapur, 1982). Several medicinal plants viz., Garo (Tinospora cordifolia Miers. and Mulethi (Glycyrrhiza glabra Boiss.) have been found to be resistant (RKI 1.0), Satavari (Aspergus racemosus Grah.) moderately resistant (RKI 1.5), Jangalipyaj (Urginea indica Roxb.), Pevato (Costus specissus Koenig ex Retz.), Kudju (Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwb), Asvagandha (Withania somnifera L.), Indravarna (Citrullus colocynthis Scharad), Anantmul (Hemedesmus indicus Br.) moderately susceptible (RKI 2.1 – 3.0), Kalijiri (Varnonia anthelmantica L.), Bhoyaringani (Solanum khasianum Clerk.), Lasanpan (Aeroides maculosum Lindl.), Ardusi (Adhatoda visia Nees) susceptible (RKI 3.1-4.0), Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) and Garmar (Coleus forskolii Bth.) to be highly susceptible (RKI 5.0) to root-knot nematodes (Patel et al., 1989). Although Cercospora leaf spot and bacterial leaf blight diseases have been observed on guggal in Gujrat (Anon., 1988), but no information on host parasite relationship between root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and guggal is reported in the literature. The available guggal cultures present in the Medicinal and Aromatic Project, Gujrat Agricultural U niversity, Anand were therefore screened against mixed population of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica) during 1988-89.