BIO EFFICACY OF SIAM WEED ON THE MANAGEMENT OF RED VARIETY OF CELOSIA ARGENTEA

Root knot nematode is destructive pathogen affecting agricultural crops, resulting in significant yield and economic losses and economic though conventionally used chemical nematicides have been effective for the management of root knot nematode disease, but they pose environmental and health hazards, prompting the search for eco-friendly alternatives. This study was conducted to analyze the phytochemical composition of Siam weed leaf extracts activity against root knot nematode the causal organism of root galls on economics food crops. The experiment had the following treatments: Siam weed leaf extracts 5ml, 10ml and 15ml concentration and non-treated (control) all replicated three times Phytochemical analysis result of Siam weed leaf shows that it has both Alkaloid, Tannins, Saponins, Glycosides, Cardiac glycosides, Phenols, Steroids and Anthraquinones in various quantities. Data were collected on the number of leaves, plant height, number of branches, weight of the leaves, root gall index and root weight per plant for the evaluation of Siam weed leaf extract and the data collected were subjected to analysis of variance while means were subjected using Duncan’s multiple range test at 5% level of probability. The results obtained from the experiment demonstrated variation among all treatments. However, plant extracts showed significant inhibitory effects on growth of root knot nematode. Siam weed extract at 15% concentration had the best inhibitory effect on the growth of root knot nematode. It was concluded that Siam weed leaf extracts would be of great benefits for the control of root knot nematode of celosia argentea. However, further research is essential to optimize the extraction process, evaluate its efficacy in field conditions.