STUDIES ON PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES ASSOCIATED WITH FLUTED PUMPKIN IN BORONGI AND BOKGARE LGA, ADAMAWA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

A survey of plant-parasitic nematode PPN genera associated with rhizospheres of Fluted pumpkin was conducted in Borongi and Bokgare LGA, Adamawa State Nigeria. during 2021–2022 farming season. In this respect, a total of Sixty (60) rhizosphere soil samples each from the two (2) location were collected at a depth of 10 - 15cm using auger. The soil samples were then transported to Crop Protection Department Laboratory, Modibbo Adama University Yola for extraction and identification at the generic level using the standard identification keys. Results showed a total of ten and eight genera of PPNs were identified from the soil samples collected from around the root of fluted pumpkin in Borongi and Bokgare respectively. These genera, in a general descending order of occurrence frequency (FO %) were: Tylenchulus (59.00), Helicotylenchus (28.00), Pratylenchus (41.00), Rotylenchulus (25.00), Trichodorus (20.00), Melodogyne (19.00), Radopholus (14.00), Longidorus (11.00) Xiphinema (8.00) and Scutellonema. (6.00). Among the plant-parasitic nematode identified, Tylenchulus specie appears to be the most abundant  and population density on the citrus orchards surveyed in the two  location with a frequency of occurrence of 59.00 and 52.00 and a population density of 924 and 53 in Borongi and Bokgare respectively. While Scutellonema and Rotylenchulu are the least frequently occurred nematodes in both Borongi and Bokgare . Based on the obtained result, it was concluded that the occurrence of PPN is probably because the local environmental and soil conditions are more suitable for their growth.