SURVEY OF PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES IN YAM GROWING BELT OF MOKWA AND MASHEGU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Yam (Dioscorea spp) is one of the staple food for most people in Nigeria and the country account for highest production worldwide. Plant parasitic nematodes are responsible for losses in crop production and quality all over the world. Therefore, the need to survey and identify the types of plant parasitic nematodes within a particular area is important in order to help the yam farmers. The objective of this study was to ascertain the plant parasitic nematodes infecting yams in Mokwa and Mashegu Local Government Areas of Niger State, southern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria. A total number of 30 soil samples were collected randomly using soil auger from both locations during 2019 cropping season. Nematodes were extracted from the soil using decanting and sieving method. Symptoms observed on the field included leaf chlorosis, leaf deformation and stunted growth. Scutellonema 635 Rotylenchus, 80 Meloidogyne 223 and Pratylenchus 89 were the most abundant of yam plant parasitic nematodes in Mokwa as compared to Trichodorus, 57, Aphelenchus 20, Paratylenchus 78, Tylenchus 10, Helicotylenchus 20, Heterodera 20 Xiphenema 10, of the parasitic nematodes while in Mashegu Local Government Areas of Niger State Scutellonema 989, Rotylenchus 110, Meloidogyne 100 and Pratylenchus 517 were the most abundant of yam plant parasitic nematodes in Mashegu as compared to Trichodorus, 25, Aphelenchus 10, Tylenchus 90, Helicotylenchus 58, Heterodera 30, Xiphenema 10, Longidorous. The survey result revealed that plant parasitic nematodes in Mashegu Local Government Areas of Niger State were more abundant than Mokwa Local Government Areas of Niger State. The identified plant parasitic nematodes could be cultured for breeding resistant yam cultivars in order to prevent severe yield losses posed by those plant parasitic nematodes.