Differential Rate of Dry Rot in.docVIP

Advances in Microbiology, 2012, 2, 452-455 /10.4236/aim.2012.24058 Published Online December 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/aim) Differential Rate of Dry Rot in Dioscorea rotundata (White Yam) along the Tuber Length Due to Rot Causing Fungi Apovughaye Taiga Department of Botany, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria Email: akpotaiga@ Received May 29, 2012; revised September 20, 2012; accepted October 3, 2012 ABSTRACT The susceptibility of different regions in Dioscorea rotundata (white yam) tuber to rot infecting fungi was investigated. Isolation was made from the periphery of the rotted tuber tissues, followed by a pathogenicity test and identification of isolates. Three fungi associated with D. rotundata (white yam) were isolated; they include Penicillium oxalicum, As- pergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer. Each of the isolates from pure cultures were inoculated on the head, middle and tail regions of healthy yam tubers. The three fungi were found to be pathogenic at different rates at the head, middle and tail ends of the yam tuber respectively. The head region was less susceptible to the three fungi with the following rot depths (P. oxalicum 25 mm oxalicum 15 mm , A. niger 10.6 mm depth of (P. oxalicum 32.0 mm , A. niger 26.4 mm a , A. niger 18.2 mm ). Rot depth in the middle region was (P. b and R. stolenifer 8.8 mm and R. stolenifer 20.8 mm a and R. stolenifer 12.7 mm ). While the tail region of the yam tuber recorded rot ) respectively. Generally, the tail region a a b a a b of D. rotundatawas more susceptible to fungal attack and the rot recorded in the tail region was significantly different from rot at the middle and the head. It was recommended that yam tubers should be stacked with their head on the ground to reduce incidence of rotting in stock-piled yam tubers. Keywords: Dioscorea rotundata; Tuber; Fungal Dry Rot; Head; Middle; Tail 1. Introducti