EFFECTS OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AND POWDER TO CONTROL ROOT KNOT NEMATODEES (Meloidogyne javanica) Chitwood on SWEET MELON IN YOLA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Field and Laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of some plant materials namely Nicotiana tabacum, Manihot esculentus, Curcucuma longa and Aloe barbadensis extracts, powder and NPK fertilizer rates to control root-knot nematode Melodogyne javanica on sweet melon. Laboratory experiment was conducted in Crop Protection Department, Modibbo Adama University Yola, while the field experiment was conducted in Loko Village of Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State in 2024 cropping season. In the Laboratory the effect of aqueous extracts of N. tabacum, M. esculentus, C. longa and A. barbadensis and a control (distilled water only) on juvenile mortality and egg hatchability of M. javanica was evaluated over a period of twenty four (24) hours for four days. The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD). Field experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with three replications. The three factors was three local cultivars of sweet melon assigned to the main plot, NPK Fertilizer rates as the sub plot while plant leaf powder as the sub-sub plot consisting of 135 plots. 50 g each of the plant leaf powder of Nicotiana tabacum, Manihot esculentus, Curcuma longa and Aloe barbadensis was incorporated into each plot with the control having zero application with three levels of fertilizer at three weeks intervals after sowing. Data was analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and means was separated using least significant difference (LSD) at 5 % level of probability. The parameters to be recorded were establishment count, number of leaves, vine length, number of flowers, number of fruits, fruit weight, fresh vine weight, dry vine weight, fresh root weight, dry root weight, root length, gall index, nematode population. It was discover that plant powder and extracts have the potentials to control root- knot nematodes both in laboratory and field, therefore more work should be carried out to ascertain the nematicidal efficacy of N. tabacum at 400 kg ha-1 rate before recommendation.