Frederick Kankam

By Elias Nortaa Kunedeb Sowley and Frederick Kankam

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is one of the most widely used spices in the world. The therapeutic benefits of ginger are mainly due to the presence of volatile oils, phenols, alkaloid, and high oleoresin content. Ginger extracts have been extensively studied for a broad range of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antiulcer, gastric antisecretory, and antitumor. This is all the more necessary because ginger is of plant origin, specifically more biodegradable, readily available, cheaper, and environmentally friendlier than synthetic chemicals. Since, some farmers in developing countries use ginger extracts as traditional medicine in the treatment of human diseases, it will be easy for them to adopt these extracts as biopesticides for the management of plant diseases. This book chapter seeks to outline the bioactive compounds and therapeutic benefits of ginger in plant disease management, and the mechanisms of action are also discussed.

Part of the book: Ginger Cultivation and Its Antimicrobial and Pharmacological Potentials

By Joseph Adomako, Stephen Larbi-Koranteng, Frederick Kankam, Yaw Danso, Jerry Fenteng Asamoah, Patricia Oteng-Darko, Kennedy Agyeman, Stephen Yeboah, Erasmus Narteh Tetteh and Eric Owusu Danquah

Ghana’s agricultural economy is largely dominated by the crop subsector with much focus on the production of tree, arable and vegetable crops. Nevertheless, Phytophthora spp. are major threat to the production of these crops contributing significantly to yield reduction. In this review, the main focus will be to look at the threats the pathogen poses to production, economic importance of Phytophthora diseases, highlights some Phytophthora diseases with limited research in the country but have the potential of affecting crop production, management options and the prospect of developing and deploying biological control strategies considered environmentally friendlier and devoid of human health risks to reduce the effect of this pathogen on crop production as well as reducing the dependency on chemical control option.

Part of the book: Agro-Economic Risks of Phytophthora and an Effective Biocontrol Approach

By Frederick Kankam, Stephen Larbi-Koranteng, Joseph Adomako, Joseph Kwowura Kwodaga, Isaac Boatey Akpatsu, Yaw Danso and Elias Nortaa Kunedeb Sowley

Mango is one of the frequently cultivated seasonal fruit crops in several tropical and subtropical regions. It is consumed as whole fruits apart from serving as raw materials for most industries that are into mineral production. Mango production is, however, constrained by diseases, pests, and poor post-harvest handling of fruits. Anthracnose disease, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz and Sacc, is one of the most important yields limiting constraint in mango production across the globe. The disease occurs in both the field and post-harvesting. In the field, it affects aboveground parts, such as the stem, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Anthracnose disease reduces the shelve life and marketability of mango fruit. In Ghana, anthracnose disease is responsible for about 30% yield/fruit loss. Most farmers do not control it, although some have resorted to the application of various fungicides not registered for mango anthracnose disease management in Ghana. This chapter will highlight on the importance of the disease on the mango industry in Ghana, control strategies currently employed thereby reducing the over-reliance on chemical control option and propose ways to minimize the effect of the disease in the country.

Part of the book: Current and Emerging Challenges in the Diseases of Trees