Nematodes and Weeds Control Effects of Pueraria phaseoloides and Flemingia macrophylla Fallows on Establishment, Survival and Yield of Plantain

Abstract

The yield of plantain (Musa spp., AAB Simmonds) declines sharply after 1-2 years of cropping in West and Central Africa, due mainly to weeds and nematodes. A trial was carried out from January 2002 to October 2005 under two landuse systems (LUS) comprising 4-5 year-old bush fallow, dominated by Chromolaena odorata (L.) R. M. King & H. Rob, and a 20 year-old secondary forest, in three villages in southern Cameroon, to assess the effectiveness of Pueraria phaseoloides and Flemingia macrophylla as planted fallows for weed suppression and reduction in nematode damage of the plantain root system, and determine the yield response of different plantain sucker types to the weed suppression and reduced nematode damage. In each LUS, the treatments were a factorial combination of three levels of fallow system and four levels of plantain sucker type arranged in a randomised complete block design. Total above-ground biomass production of P. phaseoloides was 7.45 Mg ha -1 , 4.2 times higher than F. macrophylla (1.78 Mg ha -1 ; P < 0.05). The high biomass of P. phaseoloides resulted in a significantly greater reduction in total weed biomass compared to F. macrophylla in both wet and dry seasons. Comparing the planted fallows, a sustained reduction in soil nematodes population was only under P. phaseoloides. Plantain establishment and survival rates were of decreasing order: PIF (nursery)-derived "Essong" > Boiling water-treated "Essong" > Untreated "Essong". P. phaseoloides produced significantly (P < 0.05) the highest plantain yield. There were no differences between the natural regrowth and F. macrophylla for all the plantain yield parameters. Sanitizing suckers (boiling and nursery-derived) increased actual yield and quantity of edible bunches by 35% and 26%, respectively, compared to the untreated. It was concluded that P. phaseoloides had the greatest positive effect on the growth and yield of plantain.

Plantain hybrids for the humid forest agroecology of Central Africa – diseases and pests load, fruit yield and farmers perception

“…The lower overall fruit yield of the local plantains could also be due to higher susceptibility to pests and diseases compared with hybrid plantains. The average bunch weight of each improved genotype reported in this study is higher than that reported from farmers' fields in Cameroon (Banful et al, 2008;Dépigny et al, 2019;Pierrot et al, 2002). It is however below the average yield of 24.7 kg recorded in the plantain Optim trial done by CARBAP (S. .…”

Evaluation of Proliferative Potential of Musa Paradisiaca Stem Juice on the Pancreatic Cells of Wistar Rats

“…2,3 The pancreas is surrounded by major blood vessels that supply it and other abdominal organs, such as the celiac axis, portal vein, superior mesenteric artery, and superior mesenteric vein. 4 The pancreas play a major role in digestion and regulation of blood sugar. It secretes pancreatic juice which contain digestive enzymes like lipase, protease, and amylase.…”