Abstract
The place of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in Africa was considered insignificant for years due to its previously assumed limited uses. However, it has now gained recognition as one of the important market vegetables in the tropics because of the continued awareness of the numerous health benefits attached to its consumption. This has progressively affected its cultivation and thereby, increased outbreak of diseases and insect pests of the crop. High incidence of insect and disease infestations occur in Cucumis sativus L. due to extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall and high humid condition resulting there from, causing huge losses through reduction in yield, lowered quality of harvested produce and increased cost of production. More than 30 pests and diseases are known to contribute to the losses recorded on the crop in Africa, some of which will be discussed in this chapter.
Highlights
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is considered the fourth most essential vegetable worldwide, perhaps due to its great nutritional, medicinal and economic potential [1, 2]
A holistic disease management approach which requires the use of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical methods is needful to mitigate the negative impact of diseases, insect and weed pests on productivity, the importance of this review on the current and emerging pests and diseases of C. sativus L. in Africa
Among 26 aphid species capable of transmitting Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis craccivora Linnaeus, Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas and Myzus persicae Sulz have been identified as more efficient vectors
Summary
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is considered the fourth most essential vegetable worldwide, perhaps due to its great nutritional, medicinal and economic potential [1, 2]. Despite the increasing relevance of cucumber, production is seriously constrained by many factors which include scarcity of suitable planting materials, limited access to capital, climatic conditions, plant pests and diseases, among others [5]. More than 40 diseases caused by viral, bacterial, fungal and nematode pathogens severely affect the cultivation and production of C. sativus L. In Africa, many pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria tenuis, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium equisett, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus spp., Phytophthora capsici, Penicillium oxalicum, Bipolaris spp., Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium tenuissimum, among others, have been associated with rotting of cucumber fruits [15], causing reasonably high post-harvest losses [16, 17]. Root-knot nematodes are prevalent destructive pathogens of C. sativus L. because even at low levels, high yield losses result [18]. Angular leaf spot is the most common bacterial disease of C. sativus L., it affects all cucurbits. A holistic disease management approach which requires the use of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical methods is needful to mitigate the negative impact of diseases, insect and weed pests on productivity, the importance of this review on the current and emerging pests and diseases of C. sativus L. in Africa
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