Appraisal of Agro-Industrial Fermentation Broths for Safe Management of Root-Knot Nematode (meloidogyne Incognita) on Cucumber (cucumis Sativus)

Root-knot nematodes substantially cause damages to cucumber production, leading to global yield losses of 66.23%. These nematodes disrupt root activities, leading to stunted growth, nutrient deficiency, and decrease in crop quality. A field experiment was carried out at the crop pavilion of the Department of crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture in a randomized complete block design to investigate the performance and effectiveness of three treatments including chicken manure fermentation broth, cassava peel fermentation broth and powder cassava peel for safe management of root-knot nematode on a field naturally infested by Meloidogyne incognita and also to determine the susceptibility of market more variety of cucumber to Meloidogyne incognita. Data were collected on plant height, number of leaves, leaf breadth, fruit weigh⁸t and number, and the initial and final nematode population. All data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS version 25 and the means were separated by Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) at 5% level of significance. Based on the results of the study, it was observed that the cucumber variety was susceptible to Meloidogyne incognita. Also, the three treatments performed significantly in the amendment of nematode on the field with little variation. The study's nematode suppression component revealed a significant difference in the treatment and control. When compared to the control, all treatments considerably decreased final nematode populations. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) study of bioactive compounds revealed a number of bioactive compounds in the fermentation broths. The main compounds of cassava peel fermentation broth (CPFB) were 7-Pentadecyne (6.73%), 9-Octadecene (E) (11.28%), and2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP) while that of chicken manure fermentation broth (CMFB) were 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol (18.40%), 11-Octadecenoic acid, methyl ester (15.21%) and Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (10.03%). Also, the presence of 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP) in both chicken manure fermentation broth (CMFB) and cassava peel fermentation broth (CPFB), alongside other fatty acid esters and unsaturated hydrocarbons, underscores the biochemical foundation of their nematicidal and growth-modulating effects in cucumber cultivation. This study highlighted the potential of cassava peel fermentation broth and chicken manure fermentation broth as sustainable biopesticides for root-knot nematode management in cucumber cultivation, with significant suppression observed despite limited growth improvements. Future research should refine application strategies and isolate key bioactive compounds to better understand their roles in nematode control and plant health enhancement.