Leaf extracts and leaf residues of 17 plants were tested as culture substrates for Paecilomyces lilacinus for its field application as a biocontrol agent. The efficacy of fungus plus residual substrate was tested on Meloidogyne javanica in pots. Leaf extracts and leaf residues of Peristrophe bicalyculata and Dalbergia sissoo were best as culture substrates both on the basis of high spore counts and their ability to reduce nematode multiplication. Leaf extracts and leaf residues without P. lilacinus also reduced nematode multiplication to some extent.