EFFECTIVENESS OF SOIL SOLARIZATION COMBINED WITH A PLANT-DERIVED FORMULATION FOR THE CONTROL OF THE ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA (KOFOID ET WHITE) CHITW. IN GREENHOUSE TOMATO

The effectiveness of soil solarization, alone or in combination with oxamyl or a plant-derived formulation (a mixture of aqueous extracts of Quillaja saponaria Molina, Yucca schidigera Roezl and Tagetes spp., 80, 10 and 10%, respectively), for the control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid et White) Chitw. was assessed in a greenhouse trial on tomato at Battipaglia (province of Salerno), Southern Italy. The combination of soil solarization with the plant-derived formulation resulted in a greater nematode suppression than application of single treatments. Combining soil solarization with the plant-derived formulation resulted in tomato yield and fruit size similar to that of the combination of soil solarization with oxamyl. Therefore the combination of soil solarization with plant-derived formulations may represent a sustainable nematode control strategy, as safe for human health and environment.