Articles
PASTEURIA PENETRANS AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR THE CONTROL OF NEMATODES IN GHANA
Article number
635_14
Pages
107 – 114
Language
English
Abstract
Shade house studies were undertaken at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana to assess the potential of two isolates of the bacteria Pasteuria penetrans from Malawi and Trinidad singly and in a mixture for the control of a mixed population of root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne species.
A local cultivar of tomato used as a test crop was inoculated (at transplanting) with second stage Meloidogyne larvae pre-encumbered with the bacteria.
The experimental design was a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three treatments and a control and replicated 5 times.
All the treatments incorporating P. penetrans whether singly or in a mixture suppressed root gall formation up to 60%. The treatments also reduced the final numbers of larvae of root-knot nematodes up to 75%. Fresh shoot and root weight increases recorded for the single bacteria treatments were not significant when compared with the weights of the control, that is, the nematode only treatments.
The treatments with the mixture of the two isolates of P. penetrans however, gave significant increases in fresh shoot and root weights.
It was also observed that all the three treatments resulted in significant increases (p = 0.01) in plant heights when compared with the nematode only treatment.
In all the observations the mixture of the two isolates of the bacteria performed better than the single isolates.
It is now established that P. penetrans can suppress root-knot nematodes on tomatoes in Ghana resulting in better plant growth.
A survey for local isolates is needed if further studies on the management of root-knot nematodes are to be initiated.
A local cultivar of tomato used as a test crop was inoculated (at transplanting) with second stage Meloidogyne larvae pre-encumbered with the bacteria.
The experimental design was a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three treatments and a control and replicated 5 times.
All the treatments incorporating P. penetrans whether singly or in a mixture suppressed root gall formation up to 60%. The treatments also reduced the final numbers of larvae of root-knot nematodes up to 75%. Fresh shoot and root weight increases recorded for the single bacteria treatments were not significant when compared with the weights of the control, that is, the nematode only treatments.
The treatments with the mixture of the two isolates of P. penetrans however, gave significant increases in fresh shoot and root weights.
It was also observed that all the three treatments resulted in significant increases (p = 0.01) in plant heights when compared with the nematode only treatment.
In all the observations the mixture of the two isolates of the bacteria performed better than the single isolates.
It is now established that P. penetrans can suppress root-knot nematodes on tomatoes in Ghana resulting in better plant growth.
A survey for local isolates is needed if further studies on the management of root-knot nematodes are to be initiated.
Authors
B.M.S. Hemeng, S.R. Gowen
Keywords
Pasteuria penetrans isolates, root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., control, tomato, gall reduction, growth increase
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