Gwa VI^1,2* and Williams EE²

¹Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University of Lafia, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
²Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Gwa VI, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University of Lafia, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Received: June 23, 2025; Published: July 28, 2025

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence, pathogenicity, and in vitro control of fungal pathogens associated with wheat, sorghum, and millet seeds using garlic (Allium sativum) cloves and pawpaw (Carica papaya) seed extracts. Extracts were tested at concen trations of 0g/200 mL, 50g/200 mL, 100g/200 mL, and 150g/200 mL, with experiments conducted in a completely randomized design, replicated three times, and incubated at 28 ± 2°C for five days. The fungal pathogens identified included Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, and Lasiodiplodia theobromae, with A. niger showing the highest frequency in sorghum (53.33%), millet (58.33%), and wheat (68.75%), while L. theobromae had the lowest frequency in these cereals (sorghum: 26.67%, millet: 16.67%, wheat: 12.50%). Patho genicity tests revealed that A. niger and L. theobromae were highly pathogenic to wheat and very highly pathogenic to sorghum and millet. Garlic and pawpaw extracts effectively inhibited the radial growth of these fungi, with the highest concentration (150g/200 mL) exhibiting the greatest antifungal activity. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were observed for growth inhibition across incuba tion periods, extract types, and fungal pathogens. The findings suggest that garlic and pawpaw extracts at optimized concentrations can serve as eco-friendly alternatives for managing cereal-associated fungal pathogens, particularly wheat, sorghum, and millet. For mulating these extracts into sustainable seed treatment technologies could help mitigate post-harvest losses, enhance food security, and align with environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.

Keywords: Botanical Extracts; Food Security; Garlic Pathogenicity Test; Pawpaw; Post-Harvest; Seed-Borne Fungi

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Citation

Citation: Gwa VI and Williams EE. “Occurrence and Pathogenicity of Fungal Pathogens in Guinea Corn, Millet and Wheat Seeds and their Control with Extracts of Garlic (Allium sativum) Cloves and Pawpaw (Carica papaya) Seeds". Acta Scientific Agriculture 9.8 (2025): 23-32.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Gwa VI and Williams EE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.