Antifungal Effects of Carica Papaya and Azadirachta indica on Cocoyam (Colocassia esculentus L.) corm rot Disease in Umudike, Nigeria
Abstract
Antifungal potency of two crude extracts (A. indica and C. papaya) was studied using four concentrations of aqueous and ethanoic plant extracts at 25, 50, 75 and 100% on cocoyam corms. The extracts were separately amended in potato Dextrose agar (PDA) in in-vitro control of fungal rot causing agents isolated from cocoyam corms (Botryodiplodia, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma and Rhizopus stolonifer). Infected cocoyam corms were collected from cocoyam program of National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike and taken to Plant protection laboratory of the Institute for analysis. Botryodiplodia, A. niger, Trichoderma and R. Stolonifer proved to be pathogenic from the pathogenicity test carried out since they all incited rots in cocoyam corms. The results further revealed that all the test botanicals were able to significantly (P<0.05) inhibit the mycelia growth of all the four test fungi. A. indica was consistently observed to be more potent to all the four test fungi and followed closely were ethanoic extracts of C. papaya (42.33-61.00%). The findings have shown the potential of plants extracts in the control of cocoyam corm rot caused by B. theobromae, A. niger, Trichoderma sp. and R. stolonifer. These botanicals A.indica and C.papaya will therefore, reduce the use of synthetic chemicals by farmers in controlling pathogens of stored cocoyam corms, cost of production and environmental pollution.
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