NEMATICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ERITREAN WEED PLANTS AGAINST THE ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA [ACTIVIDAD NEMATICIDA DE MALEZAS DE ERITREA SOBRE EL NEMATODO AGALLADOR MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA (KOFOID Y BLANCO) CHITWOOD]

The nematicidal potential of ethanol and aqueous extracts of ten wild plant species distributed on agricultural landof Eritrea against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, was studied. Three concentrations of each plant extractwere tested against egg hatching and mortality of second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. incognita at 24, 48 and 72h exposuretime. Significant mortality and egg hatching inhibition were observed with aqueous and ethanol extracts of Daturastramonium. Similar type of hatch inhibition also occurred with both types of extracts of Heliotropium indicum. Fromtested extracts, J2 mortality ranged from 8 to 100% for hot water extracts and 26 to 100% in for ethanol extracts.The nematotoxicity of the tested plants increased with an increase in concentration and exposure time and vice versa.The hot water and ethanol extracts of D. stramonium caused 75-100% mortality and 57-100% inhibition in egg hatch,respectively. This M. incognita juvenile mortality was 74-100% in the case of H. indicum. Among the tested extracts, hotwater and ethanol extracts of Lantana camara and Xanthium strumarium, respectively, were least effective.