Awareness Status of Plant-parasitic Nematodes Occurrence and Damage among Farmers in Benue State, Nigeria

Aim: Benue state is reportedly one of the most agrarian-inclined states in Nigeria. With almost all economic crops cultivated largely in rural communities within the state, the activities of pests and diseases continue to devastate most fields. Among these pests are plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs). Hence the study was conducted to accentuate the prevalence and degree of PPN occurrence in Benue state for the first time.

Methodology: Using well-structured questionnaires 120 farmers were interviewed in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Benue State covering 12 districts to divulge the level of PPN awareness among rural farmers and in addition, the extent of PPN damage on their fields. Laboratory-based microscopy study was used to identify common PPN genera on farmers’ fields.

Results: Among the results obtained, it was shown that of the number of respondents interviewed throughout the twelve districts, only 10% of farmers in 7 LGAs have heard of PPN as soil-borne damage-causing organism. In Tsambe, Mbatian, Mbaityu, Ukpekpe and Ibilla LGAs only 20% of the farmers have heard of nematode. Microscopy studies showed that average extent of nematode damage on plant roots and presence was 4.1 out of a scale of 1.0 to 5.0. A total of 7 families comprising 10 genera of plant-parasitic nematodes were recovered from composite root and soil samples collected from surveyed areas.

Conclusion: The level of awareness on plant-parasitic nematode occurrence and damage in Benue State is very low even though devastations on economic crops grown within the State is high. There is an urgent need to increase information dissemination among farmers within the studied state on PPNs with attendant campaigns on their management.