Parasitic Nematode Associated With Maize Damage In Awka Metropolis
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
Parasitic Nematode Associated With Maize Damage In Awka Metropolis
Chapter One: Introduction
Nematodes are little creatures or roundworms classified as Nematoda (Hodda, 2011). They are a variety of parasitic and non-parasitic nematodes that live in a wide range of settings and damage plants.
Though this Nematode species can be difficult to detect, and although over 25,000 have been described (Zhang,2013), of which more than half are parasitic, the overall number of nematode species has been estimated to be around one million (Lambshead, 2012).
Unlike Cnidarians and Platyhelminthes (flatworms), nematodes have tubular digestive tracts with openings at both ends. Nematodes have effectively adapted to almost all ecosystems. They are present in almost every ecosystem, both as parasites and as free-living organisms.
They are typically small, although some species can reach several meters in length. Plant parasitic nematodes, which are incredibly small or microscopic, can cause severe crop harm and are widely distributed.
Maize (Zea may L), which is widely grown in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of the world, is one of the plants that is easily harmed by plant parasitic nematodes. Maize, as a cereal, is one of the most significant food crops in the world.
This is attributed to their excellent adaptability, which allows for successful colonisation in all types of ecological habitats; relative ease of cultivation; tillering habit, which results in better yield per unit area; and good nutritional properties (Vasil, 2011).
Maize (Zea mays) is the most important crop in terms of production, acreage, and nutritional value, especially in poor nations like Nigeria (CIMMYT, 2010). Maize is a primary staple in both rural and urban Nigerian populations, and it has recently been highlighted as a non-traditional income crop (Nnemeka, 2010). Maize (Zea mays) is one of the cereals that is affected by plant parasitic nematodes, which are one of the sources of harm to cereal plants such as maize.
The intricacy of life cycles varies substantially among plant-parasitic nematodes. The mode of reproduction varies between and within nematode groups. Most parasitic species reproduce sexually, which requires copulation between a male and a female to fertilise the female’s eggs. Fertilised eggs hatch, resulting in a vermiform (worm-shaped) juvenile stage.
Juveniles undergo many moults before becoming an adult male or female. However, in other species, males are rare or unknown, and females reproduce using a process known as parthenogenesis (Greek for “virgin birth”), in which eggs are created and become viable without being fertilised.
The time required to complete a whole life cycle varies substantially by species. Plant parasitic nematodes are economically important crop pests that live in both cultivated and uncultivated regions. Continuous monoculture may result in the accumulation of nematode populations that can remain stable for many years (Oostenbrink, 2012).
In conditions conducive to rapid nematode population growth, crop damage may occur, resulting in yield losses. Based on this background, this study looks into the incidence and effects of plant parasitic nematodes on maize plants in the Awka Metropolis.
The overall goal of this study is to assess the prevalence of maize parasitic nematodes in Awka. The study’s specific aims are to (1) determine the prevalence of maize infestation by parasitic nematodes in Awka. (2) The sort of parasitic worm that causes maize damage in Awka.
The work is significant because it will aid farmers, the government, and other researchers. Farmers would profit from the study since it will reveal the extent of maize (Zea may) infection in Awka metropolis and the type of parasitic nematode responsible for plant damage. This knowledge can help farmers successfully sort for strategies to prevent or manage maize plant infestations by plant parasitic nematodes.
The study will benefit the government since it will help them understand the need of making arrangements for the control of plant parasitic nematodes. While researchers will profit because the study’s findings will act as a source of reference information for them in future relevant studies.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic