ABSTRACT
Taro leaf blight caused by Phytophora colocasiae is a disease of major importance in many region of the word where taro is grown. This study was carried out and aimed at preliminary investigation of the effects of organic soil amendment on some growth components and taro leaf blight disease severity. The soil amendments used are neem ash, cashew ash and oil palm bunch ash at rate of 50, 100 and 200g respectively. The field experiment was set up in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. The result of the effect of the soil amendment on the growth components showed significant difference P<0.05 on most of the components investigated. The analysis of the variance on leaf area showed that there was significant difference (p>0.05) due to the treatment. There was significant difference (p<0.05) on the number of leaf for each plant stand. The mean values range from 3.232 – 2.879. A very highly significant difference (p<0.05) was observed on the plant girth due to the soil amendment. The plant height was highly significance at (p<0.05). The soil amendment significantly affected the plant height. The result obtained on the disease severity indicated that the various soil amendment showed on significance difference (p>0.05) following analysis of variance. This study showed that the different organic soil amendments significantly influence the growth components investigated. However, this study also revealed that the soil amendments increase the disease severity in C50, C100, and O200 respectively.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Cover page i
Title page ii
Certification iii
Declaration iv
Dedication v
Acknowledgement vi
Table of content vii
List of tables viii
Abstract ix
CHAPTER ONE:
1.1
Introduction 1
1.2
Aim of the Study 3
1.3
Objectives of Study 3
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 Literature
Review 4
2.1
Origin and Distribution of Taro 4
2.2 Botany
of Taro 5
2.3 Uses
of Taro 6
2.4 Ecology
of Taro 6
2.5 Brief
Overview of Plant Nutrition 7
2.6 Effect of Number and Size of Leaf On Crop
On Crop Growth And Yield 8
2.7 Organic Manures 8
2.8 Effect of Sucking on Yield 9
2.9 Factors Affecting Cooking of Taro Corm 10
2.10 History
of Taro Leaf Blight Epidermic and Impacts 11
2.11 Disease
Symptoms 13
2.12 Biology
of the Pathogen 14
2.12.1 Host Range 14
2.12.2 Life Cycle 15
2.12.3 Infection Process and Conditions 16
2.12.4 Disease Epidermology 16
2.13 Disease
Management Strategics 18
2.13.1 Cultural and Biological Control 18
2.13.2 Chemical Control 18
2.14 Resistant
Cultivers and Genetic Resources 19
2.15 Breeding
of Resistance to Taro Leaf Blight 22
CHAPTER
THREE
3.0 Materials
and Methods 24
3.1 Study
Area 24
3.2 Collection
of Planting Materials 24
3.3 Experimental
Design 24
3.4 Land
Preparation 24
3.5 Planting 25
3.6 Soil
Amendment 25
3.7 Taro
Leaf Blight Pathogen (TLB) 25
3.7.1 Fertilization
and Soil Amendments 25
3.7.2 Inoculation 25
3.7.3 Weeding 26
3.8 Collection
of Data 26
3.9 Data
Analysis 26
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 RESULTS 27
CHAPTER FIVE
Discussion and Conclusion 30
5.1 Effect
of the Treatment on the Growth Parameters on Taro 30
5.2 Conclusion 32
REFERENCES
LIST OF
TABLES
Table 4.1 Mean Effect of Three Treatment Regime
on the Agro- Morphology of Cocoyam
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) commonly known as cocoyam is believed to be one of the vital
world’s most vital old food crops, with a historical past of more than 2000
years in cultivation. FAOSTAT (2010) ranked taro the fourteenth major
vegetable crops, with about 12 million tonnes produced from about 2 million
hectares with a yield of 6.5 t/ha. The crop plays a principal role in
the livelihood of farmers in the rural areas, who on the whole resort to
cocoyam as their source of everyday energy throughout durations of food
shortage and economic stress (Onyeka, 2014). It is the most important
edible species of the monocotyledonous family Araceae. Almost all parts of a
taro plant are utilized; corms are baked, roasted, or boiled as a source of
carbohydrates, leaves are frequently consumed as a vegetable representing an
important source of vitamins, and even petioles and flowers are consumed in
certain parts of the world. The report of FAO (2012) indicated that
nutritionally, taro is superior to cassava and yam with regards to higher
protein, mineral and vitamin contents as well as easily digestible starch. The relatively low price of cocoyam compared
to yam makes cocoyam a ready alternative for yam during off-seasons. In
addition, it also brings foreign exchange where it is produced on large scale
(Revill et al., 2005).
Singh
et al. (2012) reported that cocoyam farmers in most African countries
use minimal inputs. Onyeka (2014) stated that there is nonexistence of well
documented and consolidated understanding on taro cultivation even though the
crop is contributing extensively to the food security and earnings of many
households in Nigeria.
Taro
leaf blight (TLB) caused by Phytophthora
colocaciae Raciborski is the most destructive disease responsible for heavy
yield losses (25 to 50 %) of taro in many countries (Guarino, 2010). The
disease is the major constraints to taro production and is capable of
compelling farmers to abandon their crop fields or rotate to other staple
crops. In African, taro leaf blight was first reported in Ethiopia and
Equatorial Guinea in 2005. Most recently, TLB has been reported from West Africa in
Cameroon (Guarinoo, 2010), Nigeria (Bandyopadyay et al., 2011) and Ghana (Omane et
al., 2012) where it continues to decimate taro cultivation, and is
impacting on the livelihoods and food security of rural communities.
Continuous
land cultivation without soil amendment is a major means through which the soil
losses essential plant nutrients. In the West African sub region, Ogbonna and
Nweze (2012) reported that without soil amendments, growth and yield of taro is
drastically reduced.
Organic
soil amendments such as the use of plant debris, organic wastes or composts
manure are effective organic fertilizer and a vital source of plant nutrients.
Application of these organic soil amendments helps improve the soil’s physical
conditions. Also, it is an affordable means of nitrogen for sustaining
agricultural production (Rahman, 2004; Dauda et al., 2008).
The
agronomic abilities and value of taro stays unidentified considering the fact
that it has remained underutilized and abandoned crop in the country as a
result of little awareness on the crop, which has resulted in unsafe levels of
reduced economic livelihoods and loss of its genetic diversity (Akwee, 2015).
In the last three decades, taro production in Africa has continuously attained an
increasing percentage of global cocoyam production, which currently stands at
about 10 million tonnes each year (FAO, 2012). This increase largely depends on
cultivating extra land than increasing crop yields. This contradicts the
predictions of FAO that the 70% growth in the world’s agricultural production
required to feed yet another 2.3 billion people by 2050 have got to be carried
out by using increased yields and cropping intensity on existing farmlands, as
a substitute than increasing the area under cultivation (FAO, 2009). It is,
therefore, necessary to conduct research to come out with the appropriate
agronomic practices and inputs that will help optimize yield of taro as there
is very little information on soil amendment requirements and high yielding
varieties.
1.2 AIM OF THE STUDY
The
aim of this study is to find out whether the soil amendments will reduce or
control the disease.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
objectives of the study are as follows:
To
determine the effect of the treatments on;
·
Plant height
·
Number of leaves
·
Leaf area
·
Plant girth
·
To determine the effect of the
treatments on the disease severity
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