Fungal pathogens infecting Cucumber (Cucumis sativus Lam.) in Jos-Plateau Ecological zone of Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT The fungal infectivity profile on cucumber was assessed in a field experiment in 2019 in Jos-Plateau Ecological zone of Nigeria to determine the phytopathogenic infectivity profile of the area on vegetable crops. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with three treatments (towns) and three replicates (farms). The results showed that ten phytopathogens from seven fungal genera were prevalent in the area viz: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, Alternaria spp, Cladosporium spp, Colletotrichum spp, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Mycrosporum spp and Penicillium spp with only Colletotrichum spp being pathogenic on Cucumber seedlings. The highest and lowest prevalence were observed in A. niger and Cladosporium spp with 17.1% and 4.9% respectively. Farms 1 (in Fobur) and 4 (in Zarazon) had the highest prevalence of 15.9% while farms 3 (in Zarazon) and 7 (in Awo) had the lowest prevalence of 7.5%. The disease prevalence profile showed that downy mildew disease was prevalent in all the nine farms surveyed with the highest in farms 4 and 9 while the lowest was observed in farms 5 and 7. Anthracnose disease was not prevalent in farms 3 and 7 with the highest in farm 4 and the lowest in farm 6. The leaf spot disease was not prevalent in farms 2, 5 and 9 with the highest in farms 3 and 6 while the lowest was observed in farm 8. Further pathogenicity trials of these fungal species on the Cucumber crop in this Ecological zone is suggested in order to have a robust fungal infectivity data of the area.