Suppression of Meloiodogyne incognita (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae) and Tylenchulus semipenterans (Tylenchida: Tylenchulidae) using Tilapia fish powder and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in vivo and in vitro

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) in particular those belonging to the genera Meloidogyne and Tylenchulus are a limiting factor in the production of many plants. In this research, we investigate a strategy for the control of PPNs in vivo and in vitro. The purpose of this research is to evaluate different concentrations of Tilapia fish powder (TFP) and of (in the form of BECTO Grow Roots®) against egg hatching and second-stage juveniles of Meloiodogyne incognita (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae) under laboratory condition. We also assessed the effect of TFP and on M. incognita and Tylenchulus semipenterans (Tylenchida: Tylenchulidae) reproduction. Our data showed that the percentage of egg hatching inhibition ranged from 8.03 to 53.21% and 42.25 to 75.12% after five days of treatment at different concentrations of TFP and PGPR, respectively compared with the control. The percentage of M. incognita J2 mortality increase significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 52.1 to 86.7 and 44.6 to 92.3% after seven days of treatment at different concentrations of TFP and PGPR, respectively compared with control. Under greenhouse conditions, a remarkable (p ≤ 0.05) increase in plant growth parameters was observed in cucumber plants that received TFP and In the field experiment, the highest reduction of T. semipeneterans density was TFP +  PGPR This holds both for healthy and infected trees. Healthy navel orange (HNO) + PGPR + TFP achieved maximum enhancement in orange weight/tree compared to other treatments. Our study recommended TFP and PGPR not only because of their potential against nematodes, but also because of their safety for humans, mammals and non-target organisms.