Fusarium Wilt Disease of Eggplant: Farmers’ Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Farming History, Awareness and Perception in Major Eggplant Growing Areas of Ghana
Keywords:
Fusarium Wilt Disease, Eggplant, Farmers’ Awareness, Farmers’ Socio-Demographics
Abstract
Fusarium wilt disease causes losses to eggplants in many parts of Ghana. However, information about farmers’ appreciation and management of the disease is limited.In this study, farmers’ socio-demographic characteristics, farming history, awareness and perception of Fusarium wilt disease of eggplants in some major eggplant growing areas in the Ashanti, Eastern and Volta Regions of Ghana were determined. Purposive sampling was used to select major eggplant-producing communities, and the snowball technique was employed to identify eggplant farmers. A structured questionnaire aided with pictures of Fusarium-infected eggplant was used to inquire for information from 750 farmers in the three regions; 250 from each region and 50 from each of the 5 communities selected in each region. The farmers in the three regions had similar socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge of the Fusarium wilt disease of eggplants. Farmers were mostly within the age group of 30 years to 50 years, and 63% had formal education. Land preparation was mainly manual, except for some parts of the Volta region that used tractors. Mixed cropping with other vegetables and crop rotation with cereals was most practised. Farmer-selected seeds were the major planting materials. Wilt symptoms were a common observation of farmers in all the regions. However, the majority were oblivious of the cause and source of the disease and, therefore, were unable to apply appropriate management methods. Farmers could not estimate losses caused by Fusarium wilt disease and, therefore, were not keen on management methods.References
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2. AVRDC, (2005). The World Vegetable Centre. Fusarium Wilt. Fact Sheet, Vol. 5, pg. 627. http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/tomato/Fusarium.pdf. Accessed 19th August, 2011.10.30pm.
3. Chinedu, S.N., Olasumbo, A.C., Eboji, O.K., Emiloju, O.C., Arinola, O.K. and Dania, D.I. (2011). Proximate and Phytochemical analyses of Solanum aethiopicum L. and Solanum macrocarpon L. Fruits. Research Journal of Chemical Sciences 1(3), 63-71.
4. Danquah, J. A. and Ofori, K. (2012). Variation and correlation among
6666Journal of Agriculture and Biomedical Sciences – JABS 2023 | Volume 7 | Issue 1agronomic traits in 10 accessions of garden eggplant (Solanum gilo Raddi) in Ghana. International Journal of Nature VOL. 3(2) 2012: 373-379.
5. Daunay, M.C., Lester, R.N and Ano, G. (2001). Cultivated Eggplants. In: Tropical Plant Breeding. Charier, A., Jacquot M., Hamon S. and Nicolas, D.(Eds), Oxford University press, Oxford, UK., pp 200-225.
6. Djabletey, G.D. and Adu-Bredu, S. (2007). Adoption of agroforestry by small-scale teak farmers in Ghana- the case of Nkoranza district. Ghana Journal of Forestry. 21: 46.
7. FAOSTAT (2019). Sourced at https://knoema.com/data/agriculture-indicators-production+eggplants+ghana Accessed on 18th October, 2021.
8. Horna, D., Timpo, S., and Gruere, G. (2007). Marketing underutilized crops: The case of the African garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) in Ghana. Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species (GFU) Via dei Tre Denri, Rome, Italy.
9. Kouassi, A., Beli-sika, E., Tian-bi, T. N., Alla-N’Nan, O., Kouassi, A. B., N’zi, J.C., N’Guetta, A.S.P. and Toure, B.T. (2014). Identification of three distinct eggplants subgroups within the Solanum aethiopicum Gilo group from Cote d’ivore by morph-agronomic characterization. Agriculture 4:260-273.
10. Miller, S.A., Rowe, R.C. and Riedel, R.M. (2011). Fusarium and Verticillium wilts of tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant. Fact Sheet. Columbus, Ohio State University.
11. Mkhabela, T. (2005). Technical Efficiency in a vegetable-based mixed cropping Sector in Tugela Ferrt. Misinga District, Kwazulu- natal, South Africa, Agrikon, 44(2):187-204.
12. Morales, H., and Perfecto, I. (2000). Traditional knowledge and pest management in the Guatemalan highlands. Agriculture and Human Values, 17: 49-63.
13. Morrell, J.J., and Bloom, J.R. (1981). Influence of Meloidogyne incognita on Fusarium wilt of tomato at or below the minimum temperature for wilt development. Journal of Nematology 1(1): 57-60.
14. Nogués, S., Cotxarrera, L., Alegre, L., and Trillas, M.I. (2002). Limitations to photosynthesis in tomato leaves induced by Fusarium wilt. New Phytologist. 154 (2): 461-470.
15. Okon, U.E., Enete, A. A., and Bassey, N.E. (2010). Technical efficiency and its determinants in Garden Egg (Solanum spp.) production in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Field Action Science Report, Special Issues (1).
16. Okungbowa, F.I. and Shittu, H.O. (2011). Vascular Wilt of Tomato Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. In: Fusarium: Epidemiology, Environmental Sources and Prevention. Rios, T. F. and Ortega, E.R. (editors). Nova Science Publishers, Inc., USA (In Press).17. Owusu-Ansah, F.K. Afreh-Nuamah, D. Obeng-Ofori, and K.G. Ofosu-Budu. (2001). Managing infestation
6767Journal of Agriculture and Biomedical Sciences – JABS 2023 | Volume 7 | Issue 1levels of major insect pests of garden eggs (Solanum integrifolium L.) with aqueous neem seed extracts’, Journal of the Ghana Science Association 3: 70 -84.
18. Ozobia, A.P., Omaliko, E.P., Amusa, A.R. and Idacheba, N. (2013). Assessment of garden egg production in Giri town, Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 3(4), pp. 142-148,
19. Saavedra, Y., Dijkxhoorn, Y., Elings, A., and Glover-Tay, J. (2014). Vegetables Business Opportunities in Ghana. The Ghana Veg Programme.
20. Shippers, R.R. (2002). African indigenous vegetables, An overview of the cultivated species 2002- Revised version on CD-ROM. Natural Resources International Limited, Aylesford, UK.
21. Ubokudom, E.O., Anselem, A.E., and Nsikan, E. B., (2010). Technical efficiency and its determinants in garden egg production in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom Nigeria. The J. of Field actions, 1:1-12.
22. Udoh, E.J. and Etim, N.A. (2008). Estimating Technical efficiency of Waterleaf Production in a Tropical Region. Int. J. Vegetable Sci. 12(3):5-13.
23. Umoh, M. (2006). Measurement of farm-level efficiency of waterleaf production among city farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Int. J.Vegetable Sci. 12(3):23-33.
24. Van Huis, A., and Meerman, F. (1997). Can we make IPM work for resource poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa? International Journal of Pest Management, 43: 313- 320.
25. World data atlas (2021). https://knoema.com/data/agriculture-indicators-production+eggplants+ghana. Accessed on 11th October, 2021.
Published
2023-11-23
How to Cite
1.
Owusu E, Kwoseh C, Osekre E, Duku E, Adongo B, Gyasi E. Fusarium Wilt Disease of Eggplant: Farmers’ Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Farming History, Awareness and Perception in Major Eggplant Growing Areas of Ghana. Journal of Agricultural and Biomedical Sciences [Internet]. 23Nov.2023 [cited 4Jul.2025];7(1). Available from: https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/JABS/article/view/1102
Section
Agriculture Sciences
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