Occurrence and farmers’ awareness on sisal bole rot disease in Muheza district, Tanzania
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Date
2023
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Sisal (Agave sisalana L.) produce the world's most important natural hard fiber and Tanzania
is the world's third largest producer of the fiber, accounting for more than 40% of global
production. Muheza district is the second largest producer of sisal, after Korogwe district,
which is the center of sisal industry in Tanzania and whose production is mainly based on
rural estates and smallholders. The crop has adaptive advantages to stress conditions and
pests, but bole rot is one of the main disease that causes significant damage to the crop. The
disease is often associated with Aspergillus fungi and it has been a burden to the crop since
1930s. To date, there are four Aspergillus species recognized as the causal agents of the
disease; A. niger, A. welwitschia, A. brasiliensis and A. tubingensis, but the predominant
agent is A. niger. The infection of fungi to sisal plantlets and matured sisal plants results into
death of plants, reducing its quality and quantity. In Tanzania, no research has been
conducted to assess farmers’ level of awareness neither on sisal bole rot disease or on the
assessment of disease incidence and severity in farmers' field. This study aimed at
determining farmers’ level of awareness of bole rot disease and disease incidence and
severity in farmers’ sisal farms at three wards found in different agro-ecologies in Muheza
district. A questionnaire was used in obtaining information from 71 small scale sisal farmers
and three sisal estates found in Muheza district. Assessment of disease incidence and
severity was conducted at the same wards, where three smallholders and one sisal estate at
each ward were randomly selected by systematic sampling. A one hectare farm per small
scale farmer and per estate was measured and studied during dry and rainy seasons in the
same sisal farms.
Majority of sisal farmers (68.92%) had moderate (39-71%) level of awareness of bole rot
disease whilst 6.76% of sisal farmers had low (0-38%) level of awareness. The farmers lack
in-depth knowledge regarding sisal bole rot disease probably because most of them (89.19%)
rely on their fellow sisal farmers’ to obtain information on sisal production and on bole rot
disease. More than half (72.9%) of the farmers, their sisal fields were affected by bole rot
disease presumably due to the use of infected planting materials. The disease was found in
all studied wards at different intensity possibly because of diverse climatic conditions and low
altitude predominant in the surveyed wards. Kigombe ward located at low altitude had high
disease incidence (36.43%), severity (32.54%) and disease intensity index of (42.40) while
Tanganyika ward found in high altitude had low disease incidence (19.09%), severity
(12.82%) and disease intensity index of 90.4. The development of bole rot disease was higher
during wet season than during dry season in both surveyed wards and Kigombe ward had the
highest disease incidence (46.46%) and severity (40.24%) probably because it is found in low
land with flat areas which get flooded during heavy rainfall, a conducive environment for
fungal infection, growth and reproduction. It was noted that all sisal growers (100%) still use
unhealthy sisal planting materials namely suckers from previous crop to raise their new crop
possibly due to lack of bole rot awareness and money. Education is important for improving
farmers’ awareness regarding sisal production and management of bole rot disease. A
prepared comprehensive training module on sisal production practices with management
practices of bole rot disease should be introduced to sisal farmers as a way of increasing their
awareness on sisal production and management of bole rot disease. Efforts are needed to
improve farmers to access healthy planting materials through effective distribution. Nurseries
for the production of healthy sisal seedlings should be set up in each ward to facilitate farmer
access and reduce transport costs. However, further studies to assessing farmers’ level of
awareness on bole rot disease and on the determination of disease intensity should be done
in this and other sisal growing areas in Tanzania.
Description
MSc.-Dissertation in Crop Science
Keywords
Muheza district, Sisal, Bole rot disease