Potential use of ash and lye to sterilize farm tools contaminated with Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum

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dc.creatorOcimati, Walter
dc.creatorKearsley, Elizabeth
dc.creatorOgwal, Geofrey
dc.creatorGuy, Blomme
dc.date2026-03-10
dc.date2026-03-12T15:26:33Z
dc.date2026-03-12T15:26:33Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T13:27:18Z
dc.descriptionTool sterilization is a critical component of managing Xanthomonas wilt of banana, because it disrupts a key transmission pathway of the causal agent Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum ( Xvm ). Despite the availability of several sterilization options, uptake by smallholder farmers remains limited due to high costs, low accessibility, and practical constraints under field conditions. To broaden feasible and low-cost options, we evaluated locally sourced wood ash and homemade lye solutions (ash mixed with water) as alternative decontaminants for farm tools. Methods In the laboratory, iron or steel made knife blades coated with Xvm from freshly cut banana stems were inserted into i) dry ash, ii) un-boiled lye and iii) boiled lye for 2, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 72 h. In addition, blades were scrubbed with iv) un-boiled or v) boiled lye that had been allowed to settle for the same time durations. Tools scrubbed with household bleach and Xvm -coated tools left in shade served as controls. Each treatment was replicated nine times across three independent experiments. Results No Xvm colonies were recovered from blades scrubbed with household bleach whereas high colony counts were consistently recovered from untreated controls. Complete elimination of Xvm was achieved after immersion in boiled or un-boiled lye for at least 24 h, compared with 48 h when using dry ash. Scrubbing contaminated blades with lye that had settled for ≥24 h resulted in total removal of Xvm and was comparable in efficacy to household bleach. Boiling the lye did not enhance its disinfectant activity. Discussion These findings demonstrate that wood ash and lye provide practical, inexpensive alternatives for tool decontamination and can complement existing disease-management strategies, improving the feasibility of Xanthomonas wilt control for smallholder banana farmers.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/182093
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/59912
dc.languageen
dc.publisherFRONTIERS MEDIA
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceOcimati, W.; Kearsley, E.; Ogwal, G.; Guy, B. (2026) Potential use of ash and lye to sterilize farm tools contaminated with Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum. Frontiers in Agronomy 8: 1752033. ISSN: 2673-3218
dc.subjectbanana
dc.subjectxanthomonas wilt disease
dc.subjectlye and ash
dc.subjecttool sterilization
dc.subjectxanthomonas vasicola p.v musacearum
dc.titlePotential use of ash and lye to sterilize farm tools contaminated with Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum
dc.typeJournal Article

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