UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Root knot nematodes live up to their name as they cause galls (knots) in the roots of various plants. These sedentary microscopic nematodes belong to the Meloidogyne genus, which has approximately 98 species. Among these 98 types of parasites, M. incognita, M. javanica, M. hapla, and M. arenaria are the most common in crop fields. M. incognita is also known as "southern root knot nematodes." Similar to its other species, it also causes giant cell formation in the roots of the host plant. It affects approximately 5 per cent of the total crop production in the world. The most widely used controlling approach against this microscopic enemy of plants is chemical nematicides. But due to its huge bad impact on the environment, an eco-friendly approach has been grown and introduced, which is the use of potent plant extracts to control M. incognita. This new approach is biodegradable and cost-effective. Plant extracts are also very potent for mitigating M. incognita. Various studies in this area reveal its huge potency against the southern root knot nematodes. The presence of alkaloids, phenols, diterpenes, and polyacetylene in the plant extracts may be the cause of such potency. This biological approach controls M. incognita in two ways: one is by inhibiting the hatching of nematodes from eggs, and the other is by killing the nematodes. Studying with the help of chemistry, the administration's approach to this control will be more fruitful. Further study should be done in this area so that such an eco-friendly and cost-effective controlling measure against Meloidogyne incognita can be marketed.