ABSTRACT

This study was conducted in order to isolate and identify fungi causing rot of banana fruit in Umudike Umuahia to determine the inhibitory effects of 3 indigenous plant extracts in two solvents which were methanol and acetone, the phytochemical components of the leaves of the three indigenous plants was also investigated. The experiment was done in 3 replicates and ANOVA was used to analyze the data gotten after 5 days of inoculation. The results showed the inhibition level of plant extracts on the fungi isolated (Fusarium, Rhizopus, Rhizoctonia) were 72.6 ± 9.9 for plants extracted with methanol at 100% concentration and 78.43 ± 11.3 for plants extracted with acetone at 50% concentration. The acetone extracts of X. aethiopica was more effective than that of Garcinia kola and Vernonia amygdalina in the control of  Fusarium spp; the acetone extract of  G. kola was more effective than that of  X. aethiopica and Vernonia amygdalina in the control of Rhizopus spp and the methanolic extracts of G.kola and X. aethiopica was more effective in the control Rhizoctonia spp than that of V. amygdalina. Phytochemical analysis of the leaves of the three plants extracted with Acetone and Methanol showed that the plants contained Saponin, tannins, alkaloids, phenol, flavonoid and hydrogen cyanide, Though tannins were not detected in the the plants extracted with acetone. However hydrogen cyanide showed a high amount above 1.4 in the plants extracted with acetone. The isolation from rotten banana had the Rhizoctonia spp of a high occurrence in isolated organisms and Rhizopus as the least present in the isolated fungal pathogen of banana rot.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                                                i

Certification                                                                                                                            ii

Declaration                                                                                                                             iii

Dedication                                                                                                                              iv

Acknowledgement                                                                                                                  v

Table of contents                                                                                                                    vi

List of tables                                                                                                                           xi

List of plates                                                                                                                           x

Abstract                                                                                                                                  xi

CHAPTER ONE

1.1              Introduction                                                                                                                1

1.2              Banana                                                                                                                                    2

1.3              Banana (Nutritional Quality)                                                                                      4

1.4              World Production of Banana                                                                                      6

1.5              Local Production of Banana                                                                                       7

1.6              Importance of Banana                                                                                                 8

1.7              Deterioration and Spoilage Agents of Banana                                                           9

1.7.1    Post-Harvest Mechanical Damage of Banana                                                                        10

1.8              Vernonia amygdalina                                                                                                 11

1.9              Garcina kola                                                                                                               11

1.10          Xylopia aethiopica (Guinea Pepper)                                                                           13

1.11          Justification and Objectives                                                                                        14

CHAPTER TWO

2.1       Literature review                                                                                                         16

2.1.2    Fungi causing rot in banana                                                                                        17

2.1.3    Biocontrols                                                                                                                  18

2.1.4    Vernonia amygdalina                                                                                                 19

2.1.5    Garcina kola (Bitter Kola)                                                                                         19

2.1.6    Xylopia aethiopica (Guinea pepper)                                                                           20

2.1.7    Extracts and Concentration                                                                                        20

CHAPTER THREE

3.1       Materials and Methods                                                                                              21

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1       Results                                                                                                                        25

4.1.1    Isolated fungi pathogens from rotten banana fruits and Pathogenicity Test              25

4.1.2    Phytochemical analysis Result of plant extracts                                                        28

4.1.3    Effects of Extracts, Extract Concentration and Extraction Solvent on fungi isolated from rotten banana fruit                                                                                                     32

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1       Discussion and recommendation                                                                               38

References                                                                                                                             40