Effect of Desert Date (balanite. Aegyptiacal.) Leaf Powder on Root Knot Nematodes (meloidogyne. Incognita Kofoid and White 1919) Infestation on Tomato Plant (solanum Lycopersicum Mill.) in Yola, Adamawa State

Screen house experiment (potted experiment) was conducted at the landscape garden of Modibbo Adama University Yola to evaluate the efficacy of plant powder for the control of root- knot nematode in tomato plant. The experimental design used was the Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four treatments replicated three times. B. aegyptiaca powders were incorporated at different levels into the bucket each containing 4kg of sterilized soil. The plant powder was incorporated at the rate of 15 g, 10 g, and 5 g (T1, T2, and T3) respectively and T4 with no level of powder 0g. B. aegyptiaca powder at 15g gave the best effect on M. incognita in the potted experiments as higher plant height, number of leaves; fresh shoot weight, galling index and least final nematode of both soil and roots were recorded. Therefore, from these findings, B. aegyptiaca at 15 g exhibited nematicidal effect on M. incognita in tomato plant followed by 10 g, 5 g, respectively. The nematicidal characteristics exhibited by this plant material (desert date) might be due to some phytochemical constituents present in the plant material. The control plant has least plant height, number of leaves, fresh shoot weight, plant fruit and higher fresh root weight as well as galling index and highest final root and soil nematode population.