Evaluation of Coal Fly-Ash in Growth, Yield and Physiological Improvement of Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) Crop and Mitigation of Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) Stress

Chemical nematicides have negative impact on both soil and its microbes hence alternatives are required to replace them. Thus, the current study was conducted to illustrate the fly-ash's nematicidal and plant-growth-promoting abilities in eco-friendly manner. Pot experiments were performed during the period of, June 2024 to October 2024. Seeds of groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) were sown in clay pots containing fly-ash (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) amended soil. Plants were inoculated with Meloidogyne arenaria, identified by perineal pattern. Results revealed that application of fly-ash improved the soil physicochemical properties. It has been found that M. arenaria inoculation significantly reduced the growth, yield and pigment content of groundnut plants compared to the untreated and un-inoculated plants. Plants cultivated in 30% fly-ash (70:30 w/w soil:fly-ash) the growth and yield substances had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved as compared to untreated and inoculated plants. Moreover, the physiological attributes were also enhanced in 30% fly-ash amended soil. However, fly-ash amended soil not only increased growth and yield but also reduced the nematode disease on groundnut plants. Therefore, our results demonstrated that Fly ash at 30% level can be utilized to manage M. arenaria in eco-friendly manner and enhance growth, yield and resistance of plants.

Sandeep Kumar Yadav*1 and Kamal Singh2 Click here to download file

Research Article | Published online : 14-Apr-2025