Investigation and Assessment of the NECO’s Effectiveness against Cassava Bacterial Blight Caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis In Côte D’Ivoire

Background and Objective: Agriculture, implemented effectively, helps to reduce hunger and
malnutrition in the rapidly expanding populations of Sub-Saharan African countries Cassava (Manihot
esculenta Crantz) is an important crop in intertropical areas. However, it is subject to many diseases,
among them the bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis. The objective of
this study was to assess the behavior of two varieties of cassava, including a traditional one
(Diarrassouba) and an improved one (Bocou 1) in the area of Ferkessédougou endemic to bacterial
blight and on the other hand, to test the bactericidal activity of NECO, a biological product made of
essential oil extracted from Ocimum gratissimum.
Materials and Methods: Eight increasing concentrations of NECO in comparison with the reference
Callicuivre were used to assess the in vitro antibacterial activity and the 5 mL LG1 NECO dose was
used in situ. Data were analyzed with one way ANOVA and Statistica software.
Results: The results show that NECO exhibits bacterial inhibitory activity with diameters ranging from
0.34-3.46 cm. In situ, the use of NECO at 5 mL LG1 dose significantly decreases bacterial blight in the
range of 74.94-59.35%, depending on the crop season.
Conclusion: An improvement was observed after three applications of this biological product (NECO)
at a dose of 5 mL LG1 for the rainy season (critical) with an average effectiveness of 65% against
48.16% for Callicuivre, the reference product. The results obtained are interesting for the future in
sustainable agriculture. NECO could, therefore, be used as an alternative to synthetic products in
cassava bacterial blight control.