Dose-response effects of clove oil from Syzygium aromaticum on the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita.

BACKGROUND Clove oil, derived from the plant Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry, is active against various organisms, and was prepared in a soy lecithin/detergent formulation to determine concentrations active against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood. RESULTS In microwell assays, the mean effective clove oil concentration that reduced egg hatch by 50% (EC(50)) was 0.097% (v/v) clove oil; the EC(50) for second-stage juvenile (J2) viability was 0.145% clove oil (compared with carrier control treatments). Volatiles from 5.0% clove oil reduced nematode egg hatch in water by 30%, and decreased viability of hatched J2 by as much as 100%. Reductions were not as large with nematodes in carrier. In soil trials with J2 recovered from Baermann funnels, the EC(50) = 0.192% clove oil (compared with water controls). CONCLUSION The results demonstrated that the tested formulation is active against M. incognita eggs and J2, that the EC(50) values for J2 in the microwell studies and the soil recovery tests were similar to each other and that direct contact with the clove oil is needed for optimal management results with this natural product.