Journal Of Phytophthora Blight Disease

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucumber is a major vegetable crop worldwide and develops rapidly, with a shorter time from planting to harvest than for most crops. It is a monoecious annual climber or creeper  that has been cultivated for over 3,000 years and is still widely cultivated today. It is soft, succulent with high water content. The plant has large leaves that form canopy over the fruit. The vines grow on stakes or on trellises. The fruit is roughly cylindrical, elongated with tapered ends and may be as long in diameter. The fruits are used in unripe matured state, usually eaten raw in salads or pickled, and are also stewed in tropical regions. Although cucumber is less nutritious than most fruits, it is still a very good source of vitamins A, C, K, B6, potassium and it also provides dietary fibres, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. It contains ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, both of which help to smoothen the skin irritation and reduces swelling. Its skin contains chlorophyll and silica, two beneficial elements that are lost when the vegetables are peeled. Its juice is often recommended as a source of silicon to improve the complexion and health of the skin. However, the production of the fruit in Nigeria is very low due to some constraints such as incidences of disease, which reduces pod yield. They are produced mainly in the northern states of Nigeria. It is necessary to increase the production in order to supplement the high intake of carbohydrate in Nigeria, especially the southern parts of Nigeria where there is sparse and over dependence of its supply of salad vegetables and fruits on major suppliers from the north, resulting to relative higher price because of transportation cost and spoilage in the transportation of the fruit. The fruit constitute the dietary system of the populace in the cities as valuable ingredient in vegetable salads and fruit.

 

In Nigeria, adequate research has not been conducted to find out the best time to plant, fungicides and spray regimes to control the disease outbreak, which is common in the south due to warm weather. Fruit is usually under foliage, shading one another being allowed to creep on the ground thereby having a direct contact with some soil inhabiting disease-causing organisms. Because of its creeping nature, it pre disposes the plant for pests and disease infestation. Torrential rainfall sometimes splash sand on edible pod yield, leading to outright degradation of the market quality of pods.