Evaluation of Moringa oleifera, Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Chromolena odorata Plants Extract as Seed Borne Of Cowpea

Abstract

Cowpea is an extremely resilient crop and is cultivated under extreme agricultural conditi ons. The high protein content of the seeds as well as their special characteristics as legume crops continue to make future expansion of cowpea cultivation highly desirable in Nigeria. It is mostly an important source of protein and high quality legumes hay for livestock feed. The efficiency of several leaf extracts applied as seed treatment in the control of major seed-borne fungi of cowpea and their effects on seed germination were evaluated using the standard blotter method. Cowpea seeds have natural incidence of Aspergillus flavus (55.3%), Aspergillus niger (63.0%), Aspergillus terreus (20.0%), Fusarium moniliforme (35.3%), Macrophomina phaseolina (10.5%), Botryodiphodia theobromae (5.8%), Penicillin sp. (21.0%) and Rhizopus stolonifer (25.8%). The results showed that all the leaf extracts reduced the incidence of the fungi and increased seed germination percentage. Inhibition of fungal incidence was highest in Chromolena odorata extracts and the lowest in extracts from ginger. Phytotoxic effects on cowpea were not observed. The result of this work showed that plant extracts are effective in controlling seed-borne fungi of cowpea seeds with increase in germination. The extracts have some fungicidal properties that inhibit the seed-borne fungi. Cowpea Vigna unguicualata (L) Walp originated from African and is commonly cultivated in the semi-arid and forest margin tropic and sub-tropics where it is well adapted and probably the most popular grain legume crop.In Nigeria, most varieties such as Vigna unguiculata var., unguiculata V., sinensis and Vigna unguiculata var. sequipedelis are found in Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi, Bornu and Niger states in the North whereas in the south, they are cultivated in Oyo, Osun and Ondo states (Purseglove, 1987). Cowpea is an extremely resilient crop and is cultivated under some of the most extreme Agricultural conditions in the world. Some of the varieties grown in the Sahel and Sahara are drought and heat tolerant (Singh et al.,1 999). The high protein content of the seeds as well as their special characteristics as legume crops continue to make future expansion of cowpea cultivation highly desirable. Previous research has shown that cowpea plant is capable of producing a large number of flowers on each inflorescence (Emebiri and Obisesan, 1988). It is mostly an important source of protein and high quality legumes hay for livestock feed. Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata) is cultivated in Nigeria as a pulse for human consumption. They may be processed into a paste and used as Akara (fried bean cake), moi moi (steamed beans paste) or a variety of other dishes. The seeds may be used as hay, silage, pasture, soil cover and green manure (Verdcourt, 1970). Cowpea seed contains a lot of nutritious component and vitamins in the human diet, as well as a nutritious livestock feed. The seeds are sometimes used as a coffee substitute. The protein is rich in amino acids, lysine and tryptophan compared to cereal grains (Verdcourt, 1970).