INVESTIGATION ON PHYTOPATHOGENS OF WATER HYACINTH (Eichhornia crassipes [MART.] SOLMS-LAUBACH) IN THE WINAM GULF (LAKE VICTORIA, KENYA)

The Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes [Mart.] Solms) known to co-migrate with its phytopathogens has been found adventive in the Winam gulf, Lake Victoria creating numerous negative attributes. The study initiated to determine the phytopatogenic flora associated with the E. crassipes collected from the Winam gulf revealed the presence of filamentous fungi belonging to six genera, together with an unidentified number of bacteria jointly causing a chlorotic halo on the leaf /stem. The fungal species identified were; Myrothecium roridium, Acremonium zonatum, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium sp., Cercospora sp. and Alternaria sp., which could be targeted in the development of mycoherbicides against this aquatic weed in fuuture.