Seed-Borne Fungi of farmer-saved rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds from inland valleys of three Districts in Ashanti Region of Ghana and their management

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
August, 2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
A field survey was conducted in 2011/2012 cropping season in three selected rice growing districts comprising 13 communities to assess the quality of farmer-saved rice seeds and farmers’ perception of seed-borne diseases of rice. Majority of smallholder rice farmers in Ashanti Region of Ghana (71 %) saved their own seeds for planting. Few farmers (12%) followed proper storage practices for the seeds which were stored under ambient conditions in nylon fertilizer bags, jute sacks and black polyethylene bags, which were not treated against insect pests. The study also revealed that none of the seed samples was free from seed-borne pathogens and saprophytic fungi. Twenty fungal species comprising 16 pathogens and four saprophytes were identified on seed samples from the three districts. The most prevalent seed-borne pathogenic fungi identified were Bipolaris oryzae, Fusarium verticillioides, F.oxysporum, Curvularia lunata and Cercospora sp. while Aspergillus flavus, A.niger, Rhizopus sp. and Penicillium sp. were the most prevalent saprophytes. Efficacy of aqueous extracts of ginger (Zingiber officinale), hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) prepared at a concentration of 1g/ml for the management of seed-borne pathogens was studied. The aqueous extracts of ginger, pepper and lemongrass were found to be significantly effective in reducing infection levels of seeds. Ginger extract was the most effective.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Master of Science in Crop Protection (Plant Pathology) degree
Keywords
Citation