Studies on the Efficacy of Seed Treatments with Pesticides, Oil-Cakes, Neem-Leaf and Culture Filtrate of Paecilomyces Lilacinus for the Control of Diseases Caused by the Presence of Rotylenchulus Reniformis, Meloidogyne Incognita and Rhizoctonia Solani either Individually or Concomitantly on Cowpea*

None of the seed treatment materials exhibited either adverse or favourable effect on plant growth of uninoculated plants. Seed treatment with aldicarb and Bavistin significantly reduced the individual or combined adverse effect of Rotylenchulus reniformis, Meloidogyne incognita and Rhizoctonia solani on cowpea growth and nematode multiplication. In case of neem cake seed treatment there was significant improvement of plant growth only when inoculated with M. incognita or R. solani individually or with all three test pathogens. On the otherhand seed treatment with groundnut-cake had no significant beneficial effect on plant growth when inoculated with either of the nematode species or all three pathogens together but there was significant improvement in plant growth when inoculated with R. solani. Neem-cake seed treatment significantly reduced multiplication of both the nematode species when inoculated either individually or concomitantly with the test pathogens. However, the seed treatments with groundnut-cake did not significantly reduce the multiplication of either nematode species. Neem-leaf seed treatment had no significant curative effect against any pathogen. However, fungus filtrate treatment proved effective only against R. reniformis or R. solani.