author(s)
Hema and Anju Shdhakar Khanna

abstract
An experiment was conducted during 2016 and 2017, to estimate the severity of damage in terms of yield losses by root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), a dangerous and devastating pest, on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), which is the prime cash crop of mid hill region of Himachal Pradesh, India. In this study, a field experiment was conducted under which half of the alternate plots were treated with Carbofuran, remaining were kept untreated and paired t-test was applied. Results revealed 35.2 and 37.4 per cent avoidable yield losses during the years 2016 and 2017. Significant differences were also observed in plant heights, fresh and dry weights of plants between Carbofuran treated and untreated plants. The treatment with Carbofuran resulted in 77.7, 79.7 percent reduction in final nematode population (soil), 40.0 and 36.8 percent (root), 37.5, and 29.1 percent in root knot index during both the years.