ABSTRACT

A field trial was conducted in 2017 cropping season at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike to test the impact of some agricultural effluents on the control of leaf spot disease of Telfairia occidentalis Hook f. (fluted pumpkin). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated four times. The effluents from rice, cassava, corn, oil palm and a control (sterile water) were applied at 20ml/plant two weeks after germination at plant base and data collected until after 14weeks of planting. The parameters considered were disease incidence, disease severity, growth and yield parameters. Samples of diseased leaves were taken from field to the laboratory for pathogenicity test, isolation, identification and characterization of the pathogen. Results obtained showed that disease incidence and severity were statistically reduced in treated plants. Rice effluent scored 31.25% for disease incidence, oil palm had 32.50% disease incidence which were significantly (P<0.05) lower than control which had 75% disease incidence. Disease severity was least in plants treated with oil palm effluents (1.59), followed by rice (1.75) and were statistically (P<0.5) lower than the control which had highest disease severity (4.83). Generally all the effluents were observed to enhance growth in all the parameters considered when compared with the non-treated plants (control). For instance, rice effluent gave best vine length (247.33cm) followed by corn effluent (199.59cm) and were statistically higher than the untreated control which had least vine length (137.58cm). The result of effluents on yield of T. occidentalis was significantly different (P<0.05) from the control, rice effluent gave the best yield (7.4kg/ha), followed by cassava effluent (5.8kg/ha), palm oil effluent (5.4kg/ha), corn effluent (3.4kg/ha). The least weight was recorded by the untreated control (2.0kg/ha). Pathogenicity test result showed that the organism was able to induce leaf spot on the seedlings and the organism from infected leaves was identified as Xanthomonas spp. In this study therefore, the efficacy and potency of agro effluents was demonstrated to be useful in control of bacterial leaf spot disease of fluted pumpkin. So farmers can use this low cost organic control approach to minimize the risk of leaf spot incidence in the field since they are readily available and affordable.