Isolation, Identification and Effect of Fungi from Rhizosphere of Diseased Amaranthus hybridus L., Solanum lycopersicum L., Lactuca sativa L. and Allium fistulosum L Vegetable Crops in selected Farms in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Soil microorganisms play prominent roles in soil health, promotion of crop growth and incidence of disease. The objective of this study was to isolate, identify and understand the impact of fungi isolated from rhizosphere and diseased Amaranthus hybridus L., Solanum lycopersicum L., Lactuca sativa L. and Allium fistulosum L vegetable crops in selected farms in Lagos State of Nigeria using standard techniques. A pathogenicity test was conducted to ascertain the pathogen responsible for crop diseases. A total of 138 fungi isolates comprising of 26 fungi species were isolated from the four selected farms. Idi-Araba farm had the highest fungi isolates with 46%, Mile 12 contributed 24% fungi isolates, Iyana Iba had 18% while the least contribution was Badagry farm with 12% fungi isolates. Five were found to be pathogenic on the vegetables which include Fusarium oxysporium, Fusarium solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Alternaria alternata, and Colletotrichum gleosporoides. Thirty-three (33%) percent of pathogenic fungi isolated were from Idi-araba farm, Iyana-Iba and Mile 12 farms contributed 25% respectively while Badagry farm contributed 17% pathogenic fungi. Our results showed that the presence of pathogenic fungi in all farms is the principal cause of crop disease and severe post-harvest losses.