Effects of Soil Amendment on Foliar Disease of Different Cultivars of Groundnut (Arachis hypogae) In Owerri, Nigeria

Effect of soil amendment on foliar disease of different cultivars of groundnut (Arachis hypogae) in Owerri, Nigeria. This experiment was carried out at Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria to identify options in cultivar as well as manure types which farmers could adopt in order to control or reduce the effect of foliar diseases of groundnut. Four different groundnut cultivars namely Samnut 21, Samnut 22, Samnut 23 and one local cultivar from Akure together with different manure types namely Poultry manure ten (10) tons/ha, Compost manure ten (10) tons/ha, NPK fertilizer three hundred (300) kg/ha and zero manure (Control) were used for the study. Split plot design was used in which groundnut cultivars and soil amendment constituted main plots and sub plots respectively. Data were collected on disease incidence and severity weekly beginning from four to eight weeks after treatment applications. Among the four cultivars, Samnut 22 had the least mean value for disease incidence of 15.6, 13.8, and 18.0, at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after planting respectively while Akure local had the highest mean value for disease incidence and severity of 25.8, 30.9, 40.1 and 1.0, 1.9, 3.3 at 4, 6 and 8 weeks after planting respectively. The application of Poultry manure had the least mean value of disease incidence and severity of 8.0, 9.2, 11.9 and 0.4, 1.4, 0.8 at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after planting respectively. Zero soil amendment (Control) had the highest mean value for disease incidence and severity of 31.9, 36.1, 46.9 and 1.8, 2.7, 3.4 at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after planting respectively. Application of poultry manure best suppressed leaf spot disease of groundnut. Samnut 22 consistently showed the least mean value for disease incidence and ranked second in mean for disease severity. This makes it most preferred to other cultivars in disease incidence as well as disease severity. Planting of Samnut 22 together with application of poultry manure reduced foliar disease of groundnut significantly