Impact of Fungicide Application on Taro Leaf Blight Disease in Three Regions of Cameroon
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Journal of Experimental Agriculture International 17(4): 1-23, 2017; Article no.JEAI.33915 Previously known as American Journal of Experimental Agriculture ISSN: 2231-0606 Impact of Fungicide Application on Taro Leaf Blight Disease in Three Regions of Cameroon E. B. Manju 1, C. N. Fokunang 2,3*, G. A. Mbong 1,2 , T. S. Tima 4, C. Suh 5, E. A. Tembe-Fokunang 3 and R. Hanna 6 1Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, The University of Dschang, Cameroon. 2Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, The University of Bamenda, Cameroon. 3Department of Pharmaco-Toxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. 4Department of Crop Protection, Divisional Delegation of Agriculture, Mezam, Cameroon. 5Institute of Agronomic Research (IRAD), Bambui, Cameroon. 6Department of Plant Health, International Institute of Tropical Agricultural (IITA), Cameroon. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Author EBM designed the study, wrote the protocol, conducted field and laboratory work and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Authors GAM and CNF reviewed the experimental design and drafts of the research proposal and supervised the study. Authors TST and RH managed the analyses of the study and field coordination. Author CS performed the statistical analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/JEAI/2017/33915 Editor(s): (1) Mariusz Cycon, Department and Institute of Microbiology and Virology, School of Pharmacy, Division of Laboratoty Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, Poland. (2) Funda Eryilmaz Acikgoz, Department of Plant and Animal Production, Vocational College of Technical Sciences, Namik Kemal University, Turkey. (3) Daniele De Wrachien, State University of Milan, Italy. Reviewers: (1) Amodu Umoru Simeon, Dominic Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. (2) W. James Grichar, Texas A & M AgriLife Research, USA. (3) Joseph Adomako, CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/20899 Received 3rd May 2017 Accepted 29 th July 2017 Original Research Article th Published 9 September 2017 ABSTRACT The study was conducted in the research field sites of the Institute of Agricultural Research (IRAD), Bambui, North West Region, (IRAD), Ekona South West Region and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, Center Region of Cameroon. Four cultivars of taro (Dark green petiole with small leaves (L1), Red petiole with small leaves (L2), Light green petiole with large leaves (L3) and Light green petiole with small leaves(L4)) were planted in four seasons, _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]; Manju et al.; JEAI, 17(4): 1-23, 2017; Article no.JEAI.33915 for two years, in the months of March and July 2015, March and July 2016 in all the research farms. Ninety corms of the each cultivar were treated before planting with fungiforce at 0.33% concentration while others were not treated. Fungiforce is a contact and systemic fungicide containing high levels of copper oxide (600 grams) and mild levels of metalaxyl (120 grams), various concentrations of 0.4%, 0.33%, 0.27%, at the onset of the first symptom of leaf blight on the leaves using knapsack sprayer of 15 litres at two weeks interval, while the control experiment consisted of unsprayed taro leaves. Data for the disease incidence of taro leaf blight was recorded from the onset of disease in fields and continued at two weeks interval for 6 weeks. The results of planting taro in four seasons in three experimental field sites revealed that there was a decrease in disease incidence in fields sprayed with fungiforce than in the control field. Plots sprayed with fungicide at different concentrations showed no variation on the 4 cultivars in the different field sites. The disease incidence ranged from 10% to 100% in the 4 seasons, at the three experimental field sites. The variation in disease incidence in the three planting sites is an indication of possible genotypes by environment (GXE) interaction that may have significant influence on the taro leaf blight resistance potential. Keywords: Taro leaf blight; fungiforce; disease incidence; cultivars. 1. INTRODUCTION regions of Cameroon [14]. This led to a reduction in food, house hold income, increase poverty and Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.)Schott] is an edible some farmers abandoning their farms and aroid which belongs to the Araceae family. The switching to cultivate other crops. Taro leaf blight family consists of approximately 110 genera and disease (TLBD) is characterized by large necrotic 200 species, which are mainly distributed in the zonates spot on the leaves often coalescing to tropical and subtropical regions of the world [1] . destroy large areas of leaf [15]. The margin of Taro is grown as an important economic food the lesion is marked by a white powdery band of and vegetable crop in West Africa, particularly in sporangia and numerous droplets of orange or Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon [2]. The crop is reddish exudates [16]. Phytophthora colocasiae rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamins, originated from South East Asia [13,15] and is proteins, sugars and minerals [3,4]. All parts of widely distributed throughout the tropical regions the plant including corm, cormels, rhizome, stalk, of the world [17,16]. leaves and flowers are edible and contain abundant starch [2,5]. Besides its nutritional The disease progresses quickly and with great value, taro is used as medicinal plant to severity. The highly infectious nature of the treattooth ache and it is also an anti-cancer drug disease may exclude the use of a single control [6,7]. Taro cultivation is high in Nigeria, China, pest management practice. Integrated pest Cameroon and Ghana, where the annual rainfall management practice appears to be the most exceeds 2000 mm and it grows best under hot efficient means for the effective control and and wet conditions, with temperatures above management of TLBD. Taro growers need to use 21°C. Taro is cultivated in all regions of several complementary practices to reduce the Cameroon [8]. incidence and severity of taro leaf blight to acceptable levels [5,16]. Cultural control method Taro leaf blight, caused by Phytophthora involving removal of all leaves with lesions would colocasiae Raciborski is the most destructive quickly lead to almost complete defoliation of the disease responsible for heavy yield losses (25 to crop with consequent effects on yield. A major 50%) of taro in many countries [9]. It reduces aspect of the breeding work is the screening of corm yield of up to 50%, and leaf yield of up to resistant lines using an appropriate method. 95% in susceptible genotypes [10,11]. Breeding is aimed at improving cultivar Phytophthora colocasiae causes corms to rot resistance in a wide range of environmental both in the field and in storage, and this can lead conditions for a long period [18,19]. There is also to heavy storage loss [12]. Taro leaf blight was little information known on the use of fungicide found for the first time in 2010 in all taro and the development of biological control models plantations in Cameroon [13] and is actually the in Cameroon. Due to the lack of adequate control main constraint to taro production in the country. strategies, fungicide application seems to be the Taro leaf blight also caused between 50-100% fastest and effective method of control [20]. The yield losses of taro in most of the crop growing aim of this study was therefore to assess the 2 Manju et al.; JEAI, 17(4): 1-23, 2017; Article no.JEAI.33915 impact of fungicide application on taro leaf blight Fungiforce at 0.4% on treated cultivars, F1A = in three research field sites located at three Fungiforce at 0.4% on non treated cultivars, F2 = regions of Cameroon. Fungiforce at 0.33% on treated cultivars, F2A = Fungiforce at 0.33% on non treated cultivars, F3 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS = Fungiforce at 0.27% on treated cultivars, F3A = Fungiforce at 0.27% on non treated cultivars) 2.1 Location and Experimental Sites was initiated at the onset of the first symptom of taro blight on the leaves using knapsack sprayer This study was conducted on the research sites of 15 litres at two weeks interval. These of the Institute of Agricultural Research (IRAD), application of fungiforce was done on 90 corms Bambui, North West Region, (IRAD), Ekona of each taro cultivar treated with fungiforce and South West Region and the International Institute also 90 corms of each cultivar not treated with of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Nkolbisson, fungiforce before planting. The control Yaoundé, Centre Region Cameroon. IRAD, experiment consisted of 90 corms of each taro Bambui is situated at 32°, 0627 ʹ N latitude, 0659 ʹ cultivars which was not treated with fungiforce E longitude and altitude 1262 m above sea level. and unsprayed. Data for disease incidence was Ekona is also located at latitude 32° 0537 ʹ N, recorded on the first day of spraying of the longitude 0467 ʹ E and altitude 411 m above sea disease and this was done at two weeks interval level and IITA situated at latitude 32°86 ʹ N, for six weeks following the procedure adopted longitude 270 ʹ E and altitude 777 m above sea from Tarla [21]. level. 2.2 Evaluation of Fungicide Application 2.3 Determination of Disease Incidence of on Taro Leaf Blight P. colocasiae Corms from four cultivars of taro, Dark green Percentage incidence was calculated using the petiole with small leaves (L1), Red petiole with standards adopted from Fokunang [20] small leaves (L2), Light green petiole with large leaves (L3) and Light green petiole with small ͈͖͙ͩͦ͡ ͚ͣ ͚͙͙͗ͨ͘͢͝ ͕ͤͨͧ͢͠ ͙͙̓͗͗͘͢͢͝ = × 100 leaves (L4), infected by P. Colocasiae were used ͎͕ͣͨ͠ ͖͙ͩͦ͢͡ ͚ͣ ͕ͤͨͧ͢͠ for this experiment.