Some observations on the management of the wilt disease complex of pigeonpea by treatment with a vesicular arbuscular fungus and biocontrol agents for nematodes

A vesicular arbuscular fungus Gigaspora margarita and two biocontrol agents for nematodes, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Verticillium chlamydosporium, were used for the management of the wilt disease complex of pigeonpea caused by the nematode Heterodera cajani and the fungus Fusarium udum. All the three management agents, alone or in combination, applied to plants inoculated with pathogens increased shoot dry weight, number of nodules, phosphorus content and reduced nematode multiplication and wilting index. Simultaneous use of the biocontrol agents and the vesicular arbuscular fungus gave better control of the disease complex than did their individual applications.