Phytonematodes Associated With Plantain In Rivers-East Agricultural Zone, Rivers State, Nigeria And Reaction Of Musa Cultivars To Meloidogyne Incogvita.

ABSTRACT

Plantain (Musa spp.) is among the most ancient crops being cultivated since the dawn of history (Speijer el al., 2001). More than 60% of the world plantains are produced and consumed in Central and Western Africa and about 60 million people whose average consumption is 200 calories per day depend on the crop as staple food (FAQ, 2010). Plantain is an important food for Nigeria and in all humid tropical zones of Africa. Plantains are grown on different types of soils, but best on well drained alluvia soil, and adapted to hot wet tropic lowland with annual temperature between 22°C and 32°C (Blagodatskaya and Kuzyakov, 2008). Most plantains are triploid cultivars with tretraploids and diploids arising due to experiment. Fruits are variable in size, shape and colour, generally elongatecylindrical, straight to strongly curved, 3-40 cm long, 2-8 cm in diameter (Adekunle el al., 2006). The fruits are sterile and produced parthenocarpically with bunch over 40 kg (Fogain, 2000).