Root Necrosis Assessment of Plant Parasitic Nematodes of Banana (Musa spp.) at Arbaminch, Ethiopia

Abstract

Of the extraordinary tourist destination place in our planet, Arba Minch, is a major producer of banana which is the most important food and cash crop in Ethiopia as well as in the world. Plant-parasitic nematodes are a primary pest of banana crop worldwide and are therefore a threat to food security. The study was conducted in Arba Minch, Ethiopia, to assess the level of root damage caused by plant parasitic nematodes of banana. During 2015, Twenty four composite banana root samples were collected from six randomly selected areas and transported to laboratory in Arba Minch University. And then, five functional root pieces per sample were assessed for necrosis, washed, surface dried, chopped, macerated and extracted using the modified Baermann funnel technique. Four genera of plant parasitic nematodes such as Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne, Radopholus, and Rotylenchulus were identified for the first time in Ethiopia. Necrosis observed in roots was moderate to high, for example, the lowest and highest percentage score on Giant and Dwarf Cavendish accounted 19.5% and 45% respectively. The maximum root necrosis recovered on Dwarf Cavendish (62%) indicates that farmers are suffering substantial losses due to several plant parasitic nematodes. Thus, development of nematode management tactics requires consideration of the damage caused by total phytonematode populations.

Keywords: Arba Minch, Banana, Cavendish, Ethiopia, Plant Parasitic Nematodes