Effectiveness of liquid Dettol detergent in the management of xanthomonas campestris PV musacearum in banana plantations

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the effectiveness of liquid Dettol as an antimicrobial against Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum. The study was conducted in January, 2019 in the research laboratory of the department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Different concentrations of dettol were used; 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% and two controls that is a negative control (sterile distilled water) and a positive control (Jik). The antimicrobial activity of dettol was determined by the use of the agar well diffusion method where wells of 8mm in diameter were drilled into the agar medium using a sterilized cork borer and 100µL of the dettol concentrations were applied. The zones of inhibition observed around the wells as clear areas indicated inhibition in the growth of bacteria by the different treatments. They were measured and recorded by the use of a ruler (cm). These dettol concentrations were further applied on contaminated tools for disinfection at time intervals of 10 and 20 minutes. The data was analyzed using one way ANOVA and turkeys multiple comparison test. The results showed that the different concentrations of dettol were effective against growth of Xcm with a mean inhibition in the range of 2.35 – 2.86 cm. There was no significant difference between the concentrations of dettol but 50%, 75% and 100% concentrations were more effective than 25%. The negative control showed no activity against the bacteria while the positive control showed some activity. In the disinfection of contaminated tools, both 50% and 100% dettol concentrations were effective as no presence of bacteria was observed after contact times of 10 and 20 minutes.