ORGANIC COMPOST CONTROL OF BLIGHT DISEASE OF OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS) AND TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM) PLANTS

Organic composts are derived from plant and animal wastes as substrates in the control of blight disease of vegetable crops; tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) plants were evaluated. Cow dung, sawdust, rice husk, poultry droppings and goat dung were collected from the agricultural research farm Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida university Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria. The organic matter were allowed to decompose watered daily for twenty four days to foster the microbial activities of the composts. Three kilogram (3 kg) of sterilized topsoil was bulked with the compost at 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 g and allowed to decomposed for the period of 10 days respectively. At 200 g and 250 g the suppression was significantly different (P= 0.05) than other lower quantities. Goat dung gave the highest suppression of 88.2% followed by rice husk (85.0%). At 250 g it was 99.0%, 93.7%, 93.7%, 84.0%, and 94.7% with poultry droppings, rice husk, cow dung, saw dust and goat dung respectively. Goat dung amended soil gave the best blight disease suppression (88.2%) in okra and poultry droppings gave the best in tomato (99.0%). A good combination of compost consisting of goat dung and poultry droppings is recommended for the suppression of blight disease in tomato and okra plants.