Research article

Effects of farm yard manure application on the incidence of fusarium wilt in tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Snyder and Hans) in Nigerian sudan savanna

* ¹Umar S, ²Aliyu B.S, ²Mustapha Y and ³Kutama A.S

¹Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences and Remedial Studies, Kano

²Department of Plant Biology, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

³Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author E-mail: kutamasak@yahoo.com; Tel: +2347067371893

Accepted 18 December 2013

Abstract

The trials were conducted at the international institute for tropical agriculture (IITA) screen house Kano station, in the 2010 and 2011 to study the influence of different quantities (0.0, 25, 50, 75 and 100kg/ha) of farmyard manure (FYM) on the growth and disease incidence of Fusarium wilt in tomato. The trials were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications. The results obtained from the investigations in both 2010 and 2011 showed that there was consistently significant (P>0.05) reduction in the incidences and severities of tomato wilt due to Fusarium and resultant increase in plant height, stem circumference, and number of leaves in all the treated plants especially at 25 kg/ha and above compared with control (0.0kg/ha). This suggests that application of farm yard manure at ≥25kg/ha could be beneficial to farmers in the reduction of wilt caused by Fusarium for higher yield tomato production in northern Nigeria.

Keywords: farmyard manure, tomato wilt, Fusarium oxysporum, disease incidence