Article Sidebar
Published:
Aug 30, 2020Keywords:
Article Details
NAJ supports free online communication and exchange of knowledge as the most effective way of ensuring that the fruits of research and development practice are made widely available. It is therefore committed to open access, which, for authors, enables the widest possible dissemination of their findings and, for readers, increases their ability to discover pertinent information. The Journal adopts and uses the CC: BY license and is open access. This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Copyright for articles published in this Journal is retained by the Journal.
Main Article Content
SYSTEMIC FUNGAL INFECTION ON Jatropha Curcas L. ACCESSIONS CAUSED BY Lasidioplodia theobromae (Pat.) GRIFFON AND MAUBL IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA
Abstract
Jatropha curcas L. (Physic nut) is a species grown around the world for its great potential for the production of
biodiesel and other useful industrial and medicinal purposes. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was implicated in
systemic infection of the oil-bearing plant, physic nut causing high disease incidences and severities of leaf
chlorosis, collar and root rots, wilting and eventual death of plants.Investigation and isolations were made from
observed symptoms on four jatropha accessions under field and screen house conditions. Pathogenicity test using
Koch's postulate was completed by re-isolating L. theobromae fungus from the developed symptoms after
artificial inoculations on four weeks old seedlings raised in the screenhouse. Results show high incidence of
symptomatic and systemic infection on Jatropha curcas caused by the pathogen, L. theobramea. The most
observed symptom was root rots with least disease incidence recorded on Ex-Misau accession (38.5%). Disease
severity was not statistically different in all the accessions tested. Vascular damage on the seedlings with evident
symptoms of rots and foliar chlorosis led to eventual death. This study infers that sustainable disease
management strategies should be intensified to compliment the efforts made to maximize the production and
yield of this biodiesel species; without which growing this plant may serve a threat to other food crops grown as
companion crops with the species.
