Effects of Neem, Garlic and Aloe Extracts on the Development of Postharvest Potato Soft Rot Caused by Erwinia Carotovora Bacteria
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Date
2019-06
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Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L,) production in Kenya has been limited by diseases from plant pathogens especially bacterin soft rot which has led to production of poor quality tubers. Potato post harvest diseases such as bacteria soft rot caused by Erwinia caretovera have led to immense losses in stored potato tubers by smallholder farmers in Kenya. Although the use of synthetic chemicals has assisted in control of bacteria soft rot, their use has been greatly minimized due (o identifiable problems such as chemical residues, non-biodegradability, high phytotoxicity, environmental pollution and development of resistance by target organisms. Therefore, use of botanicals can be safer and better alternative on management of soft rot in potato tubers and other susceptible vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes. This is because the natural edible plant extracts have been found to be non-toxic to consumers, non pollutant to the environment and very economical as compared to the use of agrochemicals. This study was therefore designed to determine the effect of the plant extracts of neem (dzadirachia indica M.), garlic (Allium sativum M.) and aloe (dloe secundiflora Engl.) on the development of soft rot bacteria both in-vitro and in-vivo. In the in-vitro test, the effect of the extracts on the growth inhibition of Erwinia carotovora was investigated in a Muller Hinton (MH) culture media, while in the in-vivo test, the plant extracts were applied directly onto potato tuber tissue to investigate their effectiveness in inhibiting the development of soft rot in three potato varieties (Kenya Mpya, Sherekea and Purple Gold). Erwinia carotovora was isolated from diseased potato tubers and cultured in a nutrient agar medium. The treatments in the experiment were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five replicates and the data collected subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with statistical significance P
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Plant Pathology) in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University, June 2017.
Supervisor
Jonah Birgen
Ezekiel Mugendi Njeru