<i>In vivo</i> screening of five botanicals for the control of anthracnose disease of cowpea caused by <i>Colletotrichum truncatum</i>

The Genus Colletotrichum spp has been widely reported to be the major cause of anthracnose disease in cowpeas. The disease is very destructive due to the susceptibility of many cowpea lines. Chemical fungicide which is mostly used has been proved to be unsafe to humans due to the residues found in harvested grains. Five botanicals (bitter leaf, neem leaf, pawpaw leaf, cassia leaf and tobacco leaf) were tested for their antifungal potency in controlling this disease. Other factors tested were concentration (25, 50 and 75%) and time of application (T1–one week before flowering, T2–one week after flowering and T3–one week before and one week after flowering). The result obtained from the study identified bitter leaf and neem leaf as the most potent out of the botanicals evaluated. Disease incidence and severity were lower under these two botanicals and yield was higher when compared to the other botanicals tested in this study. Also, it was discovered that plant extract applied one week before and one week after flowering (T3) gave the best result