Full Length Research Paper

Fungi associated with base rot disease of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis)

S.M. Ayodele¹* and E. M. Ilondu²

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria.

²Department of Botany, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: ayodelemichael2007@yahoo.com. Tel: +2348036761286, +2348052708131.

Accepted 20 October, 2008

Fungi associated with base rot disease of Aloe vera (syn. Aloe barbadensis) were investigated in Niger Delta Area of Nigeria. Fungi and their percentage frequency were Aspergillus verocosa 28.03%, Fusarium oxysporium 24.24%, Plectosphaerella cucumerina 16.67%, Mammeria ehinobotryoides 15.91% and Torula herbarium 15.15%. None of the fungi isolated have been previously reported on Aloe vera in Nigeria. In pathogenicity tests, the fungi isolated produced a variety of symptoms ranging from slowly progressive to rapidly progressive lesions leading to complete disintegration of the leaf bases of A. vera plants ten days after inoculation. P. cucumerina was the most aggressive rot ­–inducer which showed full base rot disease after 6 days of inoculation.

Key words: Fungi, base rot, Aloe vera.