Infestation and prevalence of the mistletoe, Tapinanthus bangwensis on host plants in Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

An assessment of the host-parasite relationship of the Mistletoe, Tapinanthus bangwensis was undertaken in a field with wide array of susceptible host plants cover. The focus of the investigation was to identify the incidence of the parasite on host plants, the susceptible hosts and distribution of the parasite among hosts population. The field assessment revealed a sizable sum of 55 species belonging to 24 families out of which 19 species in the domain of 14 families were susceptible to infestation. It was evident that the parasite was less discriminatory and able to infest a range of different host species which made it a generalist in its mode of infestation. The incidence of the Mistletoe on susceptible hosts rose with increased population of the hosts when other factors of influence were minimal.