Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Application of neem waste vermicompost in compensating nematode induced stress and upregulating physiological markers of tomato plants under glass house conditions after 10 days of exposure

  • Agricultural Biomass Reuse and Transformation and its Application in Energy and Environment
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Farming, food processing, animal husbandry and other agro-based activities contribute to global environmental degradation by producing millions of tons of organic and inorganic solid waste. In terms of sustainable agriculture, agricultural waste management and conversion into useful products are essential. In addition, plants are facing various kinds of biotic stress, which ultimately affects their defense system. Altered defense systems in plants ultimately lead to the death of plants and a reduction in crop production. The present study is designed to keep the abovementioned fact in mind, which mainly focuses on the reuse of agricultural waste and its application to the antioxidant potential and structural components of tomato plants during nematode stress. In the present study, neem leaves were collected and mixed with cattle dung for the preparation of vermicompost. Then, tomato seeds were pre-treated with vermicompost extract before being germinated in earthen pots. After germination, they were transplanted to separate pots and inoculated with freshly hatched juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita. The experiments were conducted for 10 days under glass house conditions, and after that, plants were harvested and various physiological (antioxidant capacity, percent electrolyte leakage) and structural markers (carbohydrate content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) were analyzed. Results revealed that all physico-chemical properties make vermicompost superior as compared to soil and pre-compost material. Further, nematode stress leads to altered physiological and structural markers as compared to uninfected seedlings. However, treatment with vermicompost significantly increases carbohydrate content and antioxidative capacity in a concentration dependent manner. In addition, electrolyte leakage was found to be decrease with an increase in the concentration of vermicompost. All these findings conclude that vermicompost has strong potential to limit the damage caused by nematodes and boost the antioxidant potential of the host plants. Further, this study provides strong evidence for using vermicompost as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical nematicides and a potential strategy for agricultural waste management. This is the first study in which the tomato plant’s structural and physiological markers were assessed during nematode stress after being supplemented with vermicompost under glass house conditions for an initial 10 days of nematode exposure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

References

  • Almeida MM, de Sousa PH, Arriaga ÂM, do Prado GM, de Carvalho Magalhães CE, Maia GA, de Lemos TL (2011) Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of fresh exotic fruits from northeastern Brazil. Food Res Int 44:2155–2159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2011.03.051

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amal TC, Karthika P, Balamurugan V, Shanmugam G, Selvakumar S, Sundararaj P, Vasanth K (2020) Effects of root-knot nematode inoculums densities on morphological and phytochemical analysis of selected horse gram germplasm. Indian J Agric Res 54(6):708–715. https://doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-5430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arts MJ, Haenen GR, Voss HP, Bast A (2004) Antioxidant capacity of reaction products limits the applicability of the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. Food Chem Toxicol 42:45–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bali S, Kaur P, Jamwal VL, Gandhi SG, Sharma A, Ohri P, Bhardwaj R, Ali MA, Ahmad P (2020) Seed priming with jasmonic acid counteracts root-knot-nematode infection in tomato by modulating the activity and expression of antioxidative enzymes. Biomolecules 10(1):98. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10010098

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Balwan WK, Saba N, Singh N, Rasool N (2020) Solid waste management: first report on garbage problem in Doda Region of Jammu and Kashmir. India. Population 11(17):41

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia L, Jha H, Sarkar T, Sarangi PK (2023) Food waste utilization for reducing carbon footprints towards sustainable and cleaner environment: a review. Int J Env Res Pub He 20(3):2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bremner JM, Mulvaney RG (1982) Nitrogen-total. In: Page AL, Miler RH, Keeney DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis Part 2. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, pp 595–624

    Google Scholar 

  • Das SK, Patra JK, Thatoi H (2016) Antioxidative response to abiotic and biotic stresses in mangrove plants: a review. Int Rev Hydrobiol 101(1-2):3–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.201401744

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Devi TS, Das D, Ansari RA, Rizvi R, Sumbul A, Mahmood I (2020) Role of organic additives in the sustainable management of phytoparasitic nematodes. In: Ansari R, Rizvi R, Mahmood I (eds) Management of Phytonematodes: Recent Advances and Future Challenges. Springer, Singapore, pp 279–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4087-5_12

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dhiman S, Ibrahim M, Devi K, Sharma N, Kapoor N, Kaur R, Sharma N, Tikoria R, Ohri P, Mir BA, Bhardwaj R (2021) Biochar assisted remediation of toxic metals and metalloids. In: Handbook of Assisted and Amendment: Enhanced Sustainable Remediation Technology. John Wiley and Sons Ltd, USA, pp 131–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119670391.ch7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dhiman S, Singh AD, Kour J, Bhardwaj T, Devi K, Tikoria R, Ohri P, Bhardwaj R, Sharma P (2023) Redox homeostasis in response to abiotic stresses in plants. In: Singh A (ed) The role of growth regulators and phytohormones in overcoming environmental stress. Academic Press, London, pp 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-98332-7.00014-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • dos Santos PT, Macêdo AG, da Silva J, Pinheiro JB, de Paula AM, Biscaia D, Busato JG (2020) Water-extractable fraction of vermicomposts enriched with Trichoderma enhances the growth of bell pepper and tomato as well as their tolerance against Meloidogyne incognita. Sci Hortic 272:109536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109536

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • dos Santos PT, Monteiro de Paula A, Ferrari LH, da Silva J, Borges Pinheiro J, Navas Cajamarca SM, Jindo K, Pupo Santos M, Zandonadi DB, Busato JG (2021) Trichoderma-enriched vermicompost extracts reduces nematode biotic stress in tomato and bell pepper crops. Agronomy 11(8):1655. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081655

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dutta R, Angmo D, Singh J, Chowdhary AB, Quadar J, Singh S, Vig AP (2023) Synergistic Effect of Biochar amendment in Milk Processing Industry Sludge and Cattle dung during the Vermiremediation. Bioresour Technol 371:128612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128612

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ebrahimi M, Souri MK, Mousavi A, Sahebani N (2021) Biochar and vermicompost improve growth and physiological traits of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under deficit irrigation. Chem Biol Technol Agric 8(1):1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-021-00216-9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fullana AM, Exposito A, Escudero N, Cunquero M, Loza-Alvarez P, Gine A, Sorribas FJ (2023) Crop rotation with Meloidogyne-resistant germplasm is useful to manage and revert the (a) virulent populations of Mi1. 2 gene and reduce yield losses. Front. Plant Sci 14:1133095. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1133095

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ganguly RK, Chakraborty SK (2020) Eco-management of industrial organic wastes through the modified innovative vermicomposting process: a sustainable approach in tropical countries. In: Bhat S, Vig AP, Li F, Ravindran B (eds) Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes. Springer, Singapore, pp 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths PR, De Haseth JA (2007) Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, USA. https://doi.org/10.1002/047010631X

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hedge JE, Hofreiter BT, Whistler RL (1962) In: Whistler RL, Be Miller JN (eds) Carbohydrate chemistry. Academic Press, New York, pp 371–380

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez OL, Calderín A, Huelva R, Martínez-Balmori D, Guridi F, Aguiar NO, Olivares FL, Canellas LP (2015) Humic substances from vermicompost enhance urban lettuce production. Agron Sustain Dev 35:225–232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-014-0221-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jagadeesh B, Maurya SK, Hemalatha P, Lingam A (2022) Diseases and disorders of cole crops (Stem Brassicas) and their management. In: Srivastava JN, Singh AK (eds) Diseases of horticultural crops Apple. Academic Press, New Jersey, pp 79–129

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • John MK (1970) Colorimetric determination of phosphorus in soil and plant materials with ascorbic acid. Soil Sci 109:214–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaur P, Kocher GS, Taggar MS (2023) Comparative assessment of fungal consortium ligninolytic enzymes versus sequential acid–alkali pretreatments for bioethanol production from rice straw. Bioenergy Res 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10612-8

  • Khanna K, Jamwal VL, Kohli SK, Gandhi SG, Ohri P, Bhardwaj R, Wijaya L, Alyemeni MN, Ahmad P (2019) Role of plant growth promoting Bacteria (PGPRs) as biocontrol agents of Meloidogyne incognita through improved plant defense of Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant Soil 436(1):325–345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-03932-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J, Bijak M, Saluk J, Ponczek MB, Zbikowska HM, Nowak P, Tsirigotis-Maniecka M, Pawlaczyk I (2015) Radical scavenging and antioxidant effects of Matricaria chamomilla polyphenolic–polysaccharide conjugates. Int J Biol Macromol 72:1152–1158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.09.032

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koul B, Yakoob M, Shah MP (2022) Agricultural waste management strategies for environmental sustainability. Environ Res 206:112285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu XH, Sun DQ, Wu QS, Liu SH, Sun GM (2014) Physico-chemical properties, antioxidant activity and mineral contents of pineapple genotypes grown in China. Molecules 19(6):8518–8532. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules19068518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mago M, Gupta R, Yadav A, Garg VK (2022) Sustainable treatment and nutrient recovery from leafy waste through vermicomposting. Bioresour Technol 347:126390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126390

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra S, Wang KH, Sipes BS, Tian M (2018) Induction of host-plant resistance in cucumber by vermicompost tea against root-knot nematode. Nematropica 48(2):164–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Mokrini F, Janati S, Houari A, Essarioui A, Bouharroud R, Mimouni A (2018) Management of plant parasitic nematodes by means of organic amendment. Rev Mar Sci Agron Vet 6:337–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Nur FO, Siti AH, Umi KY (2013) Comparative evaluation of organic and inorganic fertilizers on total phenolic, total flavonoid, antioxidant activity and cyanogenic glycosides in cassava (Manihot esculenta). Afr J Biotechnol 12(18):2414–2421

    Google Scholar 

  • Omran BA, Baek KH (2022) Valorization of agro-industrial biowaste to green nanomaterials for wastewater treatment: Approaching green chemistry and circular economy principles. J Environ Manage 311:114806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114806

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panda SK, Matsumoto H (2007) Molecular physiology of aluminum toxicity and tolerance in plants. Bot Rev 73(4):326–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parthasarathi K, Balamurugan M, Ranganathan LS (2008) Influence of vermicompost on the physico-chemical and biological properties in different types of soil along with yield and quality of the pulse crop-blackgram. J Environ Health Sci Eng 5(1):51–58

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1996) Total carbon, organic carbon and organic matter. In: Sparks DL, Page AL, Helmke PA, Loeppert RH, Soltanpour PN, Tabatabai MA, Johnston CT, Sumner ME (eds) Methods of soil analysis: part 3 chemical methods. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, pp 961–1010

    Google Scholar 

  • Pizzeghello D, Nicolini G, Nardi S (2001) Hormone-like activity of humic substances in Fagus sylvaticae forests. New Phytol. 151(3):647–657

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poveda J, Abril-Urias P, Escobar C (2020) Biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes by filamentous fungi inducers of resistance: Trichoderma, mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi. Front Microbiol 11:992. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00992

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad M, Ranjan R, Ali A, Goyal D, Yadav A, Singh TB, Shrivastav P, Dantu PK (2020) Efficient transformation of agricultural waste in India. In: Ansari AA, Naeem M, Gill SS (eds) Contaminants in agriculture: sources, impacts and management. Springer nature Switzerland, pp 271–287. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41552-5_13

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Quadar J, Chowdhary AB, Dutta R, Angmo D, Rashid F, Singh S, Singh J, Vig AP (2022) Characterization of vermicompost of coconut husk mixed with cattle dung: physicochemical properties, SEM and FT-IR analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29(58):87790–87801. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21899-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ralmi NHAA, Khandaker MM, Mat N (2016) Occurrence and control of root-knot-nematode in crops: a review. Aust J Crop Sci 10(12):1649–1654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao MS, Kamalnath M, Umamaheswari R, Rajinikanth R, Prabu P, Priti K, Grace GN, Chaya MK, Gopalakrishnan C (2017) Bacillus subtilis IIHR BS-2 enriched vermicompost controls root-knot-nematode and soft rot disease complex in carrot. Sci. Hortic 218:56–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.01.051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawat N, Singla-Pareek SL, Pareek A (2021) Membrane dynamics during individual and combined abiotic stresses in plants and tools to study the same. Physiol Plant 171(4):653–676. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.13217

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiavon M, Lima LW, Jiang Y, Hawkesford MJ (2017) Effects of selenium on plant metabolism and implications for crops and consumers. In: Pilon-Smits E, Winkel L, Lin ZQ (eds) Selenium in plants: Molecular, physiological, ecological and evolutionary aspects. Springer, Cham, pp 2547–2275. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56249-0_15257-275

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schiavon M, Pizzeghello D, Muscolo A, Vaccaro S, Francioso O, Nardi S (2010) High molecular size humic substances enhance phenylpropanoid metabolism in maize (Zea mays L.). J Chem Ecol 36:662–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9790-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sijmons PC, Atkinson HJ, Wyss U (1994) Parasitic strategies of root nematodes and associated host cell responses. Annu Rev Phytopathol 32(1):235–259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh K, Bhartiya DK (2021) A review article on vermibiotechnology and waste management. World Rev Sci Technol Sustain Dev 17(1):81–97. https://doi.org/10.1504/WRSTSD.2021.113976

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh SI, Singh WR, Bhat SA, Sohal B, Khanna N, Vig AP, Ameen F, Jones S (2022) Vermiremediation of allopathic pharmaceutical industry sludge amended with cattle dung employing Eisenia fetida. Environ Res 214:113766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.113766

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sivakumar M, Gunasekaran K (2011) Management of root-knot-nematodes in tomato, chilli and brinjal by neem oil formulations. J Biopestic 4:198–200

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strilling GR (1991) Biological control of plant parasitic nematodes. CAB International, Wallingford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor DP, Netscher C (1974) An improved technique for preparing perineal patterns of Meloidogyne spp. Nematologica 20:268–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tikoria R, Kaur A, Ohri P (2022a) Modulation of various phytoconstituents in tomato seedling growth and Meloidogyne incognita–induced stress alleviation by vermicompost application. Front Environ Sci 10:891195. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.891195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tikoria R, Kaur A, Ohri P (2022b) Potential of vermicompost extract in enhancing the biomass and bioactive components along with mitigation of Meloidogyne incognita-induced stress in tomato. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29:56023–56036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19757-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tikoria R, Kaur A, Ohri P (2023a) Amelioration of oxidative stress and growth enhancement by application of vermicompost via modulating phyto-constituents in tomato plants during nematode stress. J Soil Sci Plant Nutrit 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01313-4

  • Tikoria R, Kaur A, Ohri P (2023b) Physiological, biochemical and structural changes in tomato plants by vermicompost application in different exposure periods under glass house conditions. Plant Physiol Biochem 197:107656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107656

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang D, Shi Q, Wang X, Wei M, Hu J, Liu J, Yang F (2010) Influence of cow manure vermicompost on the growth, metabolite contents and antioxidant activities of chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris spp. chinensis). Biology Fertil Soils 46:689–696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-010-0473-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao Z, Liu M, Jiang L, Chen X, Griffiths BS, Li H, Hu F (2016) Vermicompost increases defense against root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in tomato plants. Appl Soil Ecol 105:177–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie X, He Z, Chen N, Tang Z, Wang Q, Cai Y (2019) The roles of environmental factors in regulation of oxidative stress in plant. Bio Med Res Int 2019:9732325. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9732325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan Y, Mao Q, Wang Y, Zhao J, Fu Y, Yang Z, Peng X, Zhang M, Bai B, Liu A, Chen S (2021) Trichoderma harzianum induces resistance to root-knot nematodes by increasing secondary metabolite synthesis and defense-related enzyme activity in Solanum lycopersicum L. Biol Control 158:104609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2021.104609

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yen G-C, Chen H-Y (1995) Antioxidant activity of various tea extracts in relation to their antimutagenicity. J Agric Food Chem 43:27–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yusof Z, Ramasamy S, Mahmood NZ, Yaacob JS (2018) Vermicompost supplementation improves the stability of bioactive anthocyanin and phenolic compounds in Clinacanthus nutans lindau. Molecules 23(6):1345. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23061345

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

R.T. is financially supported by CSIR-New Delhi {File no. 09/254(0287)/2018-EMR-I}.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, India

    Raman Tikoria & Puja Ohri

  2. Department of Zoology, School of Bio-engineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India

    Raman Tikoria

Authors
  1. Raman Tikoria
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Puja Ohri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Raman Tikoria: methodology, conceptualization, analysis, manuscript preparation, revision, proof reading; Puja Ohri: supervision and investigation, review and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Puja Ohri.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

Ethical approval for this work is not required.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

All the authors agreed to publish this work in ESPR.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Chris Lowe

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tikoria, R., Ohri, P. Application of neem waste vermicompost in compensating nematode induced stress and upregulating physiological markers of tomato plants under glass house conditions after 10 days of exposure. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30324-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30324-y

Keywords:

Search

Navigation