Root Rot Disease of Five Fruit Tree Seedlings in the Nursery

The incidence of root rot disease in the nursery of Chrysophyllum albidun Dacryodes edulis, persea Americana, Irvingia gabonensis and Annona muricala was assessed. Ten fungal pathogen were isolated using serial dilution and pathogenicity tests were carried out on the 5 fruit trees with the 10 isolated fungi. The 5 fruit tree seedlings were then potted in polypots filled with forest soil. The disease organisms were confirmed by Koch’s postulates. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design replicated three times. Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus were implicated as the causal agent of root rot in the 5 fruit trees. The percentage incidences were 39%, 25%, 20%, 9% and 10% for A. muricata, I. gabonesis, P. Americana, D. edulis and C. albidum respectively. The results provide baseline data for management of root rot disease in fruit trees at the nursery.Keywords: root rot disease, fruit tree, seedlings, nurseryionJournal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 1, 201

Damping-off Disease of two Pulp and Paper Forest Species (Pinus caribaea Morelet and Pinus oocarpa Schiede) in the Nursery

Anexperiment was conducted to assess the effect of four sowing media(ground granite, sharp river sand, top soil and saw dust) on the incidence of damping-off disease in two pine species, Pinus caribaea and Pinus oocarpa during the wet and dry seasons of 2006/07. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design (CRD) replicated three times. A significant effect (P0.05) between the ground granite and sharp river sand. Saw dust had 0% disease incidence and supported the highest plant height. Fusarium oxysporum was implicated as the causal agent of the disease. There was an inter-seasonal variation inthe disease occurrence in the study area as it was more severe in the rainy season.Key words: Fusarium oxysporum, Pinus caribaea, Pinus oocarpa, sowingmedia, disease incidenc

Fusarium Damping-off of two Timber Species (Terminalia Ivorensis A.Chev and Nauclea Diderrichii De Wild and Th.Dur) in the Nursery

The incidence of the damping–off disease of two timber species Terminaliaivorensis and Nauclea diderrichii sown in ground granite, sharp river sand,topsoil and sawdust was assessed at the nursery site of the Department ofForestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt. Theexperiment was laid out in a completely randomised design replicated threetimes. Fusarium oxysporum was implicated as the causal agent of thedisease. Terminalia ivorensis was not susceptible to Fusarium damping-off in the study. A significant effect (

Pre and Post-Emergence Damping-Off of Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don and C. delevoyi Dewild in Port Harcourt

A nursery experiment on pre- and post-emergence damping off ofChrysophyllum species was conducted in the Department of Forestry andWildlife Management in the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2010.The study assessed the fungi associated with seed and seedlings ofChrysophyllum albidum and C. delevoyi in the nursery. A sample of thirtyseeds each were collected randomly from the seed lot for both species andgerminated in trays using a completely randomized design with three replicates. The germinants were observed over a period of 28 days. Disease incidence, germination percentages and seedlings damaged were observed and data recorded respectively. The t-test was used to separate the means. Fusarium oxysponum, Aspergillus flavus and Trichoderma species were implicated as causal agents of damping off in the two species. The fungal pathogens strongly impacted on the mean percentage germination percentage of the species in the unsterilised/medium with 34% and 7.33% for C. albidum and C. delevoyi respectively. Similarly the mean seedling survivals for the species were 28% and 6% for C. albidum and C. delevoyi respectively. Chrysophyllum species are highly susceptible to fungal pathogens in the nursery