Potency of Plant Ashes as Organic Feretilizers in the Performance and Control of Leaf Spot Disease of Telfairia occidentalis in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract: An investigation was conducted in the Research and Training Farm of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria to investigate the effect of plant organic ashes on the control of leaf spot disease of Telfaria occidentalis and on its yield performance. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replicates and six treatments (plantain peel ash, oil palm kernel bunch ash, sawdust, firewood ash mancozeb (synthetic pesticide) and a non treated control. The results showed that all the plant ashes treatments used significantly reduced the leaf spot disease of Telfaria occidentalis (P0.05) when compared with the non treated control. Plantain peel ash for instance showed lowest number of mean disease severity (0.25) and all the parameters measured, significantly (P0.05) suppressed leaf spot incidence (20.07%) and also enhanced yield over other treatments including control (4.544). This investigation suggests the practical use of plant waste ashes especially plantain peel (ash) in the control of leaf spot disease and enhancement of the performance of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis).