Wilt disease of Arachis hypogaea L. in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Summary. A 2-year survey (1993, 1994) of peanut farms in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, showed that 21.5 ± 1.1% of the crop was affected by wilt disease. The microflora associated with the roots of wilted peanut plants were Penicillium oxalicum Currie and Thom (15.2%), P. citrinum Thom (12.3%), Fusarium oxysporum Schlect. I (35.6%), F. oxysporum II (55.3%), F. oxysporum III (26.8%), F. solani (Mart.) Sacc. I (6.3%), F. solani II (10.5%), Aspergillus niger Van Tieghem (5.5%), Trichoderma koningii Rifai (15.0%) and Botryodiplodia theobromae Pat. (5.0%). Others included Ralstonia (Pseudomonas) solanacearum (Smith) Smith (5.0%), Rhizobium sp. (20.0%) and Bacillus sp. (15.3%). Pathogenicity tests using 10⁶ fungi spores/mL and 10⁶ cells of bacteria isolates/mL showed that Fusarium oxysporum was responsible for the wilting of peanut seedlings in this locality.