The effectiveness of some plant materials used as soil amendments in the control of plant parasitic nematode infection of cowpea

Abstract

A study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of cassava tuber peel, locust bean husk, and neem leaves in plant parasitic nematode control on cowpea cv. IR48.  The two rates (1.5 and 2.0 ton/ha each) of the tested soil amendments gave good nematode control on cowpea cv. IR48 as compared with the control though 1.5 tonne/ha locust bean husk treatment was not as effective as the 2 tonne/ha locust bean husk, 1.5 and 2 tonne/ha each of cassava tuber peel and neem leaf in increasing yield of the treated cowpea.  The results indicate that the soil amendments significantly improved growth and yield of cowpea cv. IR48, suppressed plant parasitic nematode population build-up in the soil and reduced the galls on cowpea roots.