Assessing the Incidences of Late Blight Disease on Irish Potato Varieties in Kisii County, Kenya
Journal Title: Annual Research & Review in Biology - Year 2016, Vol 9, Issue 6
Abstract
Background: Late Blight Disease, caused by the fungal pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, is a major constraint of Irish potato production in Kenya. The disease can destroy a crop, causing up to 100% yield loss. Small scale holder farmers in Kisii County continuously grow Irish potato that is susceptible to P. infestans which require a number of fungicides sprays. The study was formulated out of the realization that Irish potato plays a major role in food security and contributes to poverty alleviation. Also, the commonly used protectant fungicides for the crop are expensive, hazardous and are not effective against Phytophthora infestans. Aim: To assess the incidences of late blight disease on Irish potato varieties in Kisii County, Kenya. Study Design: The Irish potato farms were selected randomly following a line transect. Twenty nine stops at every ten kilometres were made, three potato farms around every stop were inspected for the presence of late blight infected Irish potato varieties. A total of eighty seven farms were inspected for the presence of late blight. Five late blight infected leaves from each farm were collected for examination in the laboratory. Methodology: A random sampling method was used to collect late blight infected Irish potato plants from various farms along the transect routes. P. infestans were isolated, cultured on a potato dextrose agar and identified by microscopic techniques at National Agricultural Research Laboratories and Kenya Agricultural research and Livestock Organisation Kisii. An inoculum prepared was standardized to 1x107 sporangia/ml concentration using haemocytometer. Pathogenicity test was done on health Irish potato plants to confirm the pathogenicity nature of the Phytophthora infestans. The data collected was subjected to analysis of variance using GENSTAT directive version 12.0 and chi-square. Place and Duration of the Study: Sampling was carried out in the month of April, May and June 2015 during the long rain season in Kisii County, Kenya. Results: Late blight disease was found to be rampant in all the 87 farms inspected in the County. Late blight effect differed significantly at P<.001 among the Irish potato varieties assessed. There was no significant different among the farms inspected and this indicated that all farms visited were infected with late blight the same way. Along the transect routes six Irish potato varieties were identified notably Mang’ere (55.6%), Nyayo (17.2%), Tigoni (3.4%), Asante (3.4%), Shangi (10.3%) and Purple gold (10.3%). Conclusion: Late blight disease remains a serious threat to Irish potato production causing significant yield and economic losses to farmers. The diversity of Phytophthora infestans in the region calls for the most sustainable approach for reducing late blight problem significantly and this would enable the farmers to get good yields from their Irish potato crop.
Authors and Affiliations
Micah Ongoro Mariita, Johnson Nyangeri, Jacqueline Kubochi Makatiani
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP350954
- DOI 10.9734/ARRB/2016/23617
- Views 90
- Downloads 0
Therapeutic Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: From Synthetics to Naturals
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder of men with multi-factorial etiology, particularly affecting the lifestyle of elderly patients. Sex steroid hormones essential for the development and gr...
A Century of Change in an Indonesian Coral Reef: Sluiter's Brandewijnsbaai (1890) Revisited
Corals of Terlena Island were first mentioned more than 125 years ago, when Sluiter in 1890 came up with a new theory of initial reef development. Our aim was to re-visit the reef, investigate the coral community and env...
Methane Cycling Microbial Communities in Natural and Drained Sites of Taldom Peatland, Moscow Region, Russia
Aims: Drainage of peatlands is known to decrease overall CH4 emission, but the effect on methane cycling microbes is poorly described. For this reason we aimed to reveal the differences in methanogenic and methanotrophic...
Antibacterial Evaluation of Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts of Ocimum gratissimum and Carica papaya
Aims: This study was carried out to evaluate the antibacterial activity of aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of Ocimum gratissimum and Carica papaya against selected clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria and to als...
Acute Toxicity of Adenia cissampeloides in Farmed African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
The study evaluated acute toxicity of Adenia cissampeloides leaf extract on early life stages of farmed African catfish. 160 fingerlings were divided into four groups using a completely randomized design in a factorial l...