An experiment was conducted over two years from 2014 to 2016 to find out the suitable management tactics against Aphelenchoides besseyi Christie in tuberose. The experiment was planned in ‘Strip Factorial Design’. Three nematode management modules, two susceptible crop cultivars and two spacings were used in the experiment. Management modules were adopted in order to manage the population of A. besseyi in tuberose to minimize the infestation for sustainable production of tuberose floral spikes. The IPM module of foliar nematode management comprising of bulb treatment, field sanitation and three rounds of prophylactic spray with nematicides for the 1st and 2nd year crop in the present experiment kept the A. besseyi population significantly lower than the farmers’ practice module (bulb treatment + four rounds of prophylactic spray with nematicides for the 1st and 2nd year crop) and untreated control. Hence, adoption of IPM module possibly made the crop to achieve good growth and development as judged by the several attributes (spike length, rachis length, number of nodes/spike, flower yields etc.) measured during the course of experimentation. The maximum return per rupee investment for managing A. besseyi in tuberose was observed with the IPM module being, Rs. . To enhance the flower yield of tuberose, Calcutta Single cultivar can be planted in 30cm × 25cm spacing adopting IPM module of foliar nematode management. Validation and promotion of developed IPM module of foliar nematode management for the farmers raising tuberose in the Gangetic plains of West Bengal need to be done. | Integrated management of aphelenchoides besseyi infesting tuberose in gangetic plains of west Bengal
