Phenotyping selected Australian wheat genotypes for resistance to stem rust and yellow rust and yield performance in Kenya
June 2022
Stem rust and yellow rust are major diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) caused by Puccinia graminis and Puccinia striiformis, respectively. In Kenya, although the two diseases occur together, available genetic resistance is limited. Therefore, research for resistance to both diseases is of priority. We therefore evaluated 59 Australian wheat genotypes alongside local checks over three seasons in Njoro, Kenya, for...
Identification of drought tolerant finger millet (Eleusine coracana) lines based on morpho-physiological characteristics and grain yield
April 2022
Drought stress contributes significantly to economic yield losses in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) production. This study evaluated morpho-physiological and agronomic traits among 25 finger millet genotypes for drought tolerance under field conditions. Out of the 25 genotypes, 24 were advanced lines preselected for drought tolerance from ICRISAT, KALRO and Egerton University seed units and one check cultivar P-224....
Combining ability and gene action for bacterial wilt disease resistance in wild tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) and cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes
April 2022
Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most destructive and widespread diseases of tomato in Kenya. The objective of this study was to determine the combining ability effects and gene action conditioning bacterial wilt disease resistance in tomato. Eight parents were crossed in North Carolina II mating design scheme to produce sixteen F1 hybrids. The F1 hybrids and the parental genotypes were...
Physical and mechanical properties of Holarrhena floribunda and Nesogordonia papaverifera branch wood in Ghana
March 2022
The current study examines the physical and mechanical properties of branch wood from Holarrhena floribunda and Nesogordonia papaverifera, two of Ghana's least researched deciduous species. At an equilibrium moisture content of 12±2%, H. floribunda and N. papaverifera specimens had average density values of 467.53 and 720.80 kgm-3, respectively. The overall tangential and radial shrinkage was 3.8 and 3.2%,...
Nitrogen use efficiency and performance of rice to the application of slow release nitrogen fertilizer under waterlogged conditions in North Western Ethiopia
February 2022
Highly soluble N fertilizers like urea may be lost from the soil plant system through leaching, ammonia (NH3) volatilization and denitrification that reduce NUE and yield. The study was conducted to determine the effects of UREAStabil on enhancement of nitrogen utilization efficiencies of rice crop and to evaluate the influence of UREAStabil on growth and yield of rice under waterlogged conditions of Fogera area....
Current state of knowledge on the potential and production of Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin) in Africa: A review
January 2022
Pumpkin has high nutritional value essential for food security. Despite many benefits, it still considered an orphan crop in Africa. Very little information is available on the potential and production of pumpkin in Africa due to neglect by researchers and improvement program. Classical research, both theoretical and empirical, was used to conduct a systematic review of the various result trends obtained by researchers...
Normalized difference vegetation index as screening trait to complement visual selections of durum wheat drought tolerant genotypes
January 2022
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is considered as a potential screening tool detecting stay green traits for drought tolerance. The present study aimed to evaluate durum wheat genotypes using NDVI under drought condition and investigate its association to grain yield. NDVI scores taken at different growth stages for 64 durum wheat genotypes were replicated twice in both sandy clay and clay textured soils...
Bioconversion of bananiculture waste for Amazon edible mushroom production
December 2021
The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of banana stalk and pseudostem residues from two banana cultivars as cultivation substrate for the Amazonian Pleurotus ostreatus NATB. The residues of the two cultivars (silver-dwarf and thap-maeo) were used to cultivate P. ostreatus NATB from the Mushroom Cultivation Laboratory Micoteca, CTI, INPA, Brazil, reactivated in medium Potato Dextrose...
Occurrence of maize yellow mosaic virus and evidence of co-infection with maize lethal necrosis viruses in Bomet County, Kenya
December 2021
Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease is caused by synergistic interaction between maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). However, some East African countries have detected maize infecting polerovirus named maize yellow mosaic virus (MaYMV) also known as maize yellow dwarf virus (MYDV-RMV) co-infecting maize with MLN viruses. Maize yellow dwarf virus occurrence and distribution in different...
Assessing production constraints, management and use of pearl millet in the Guinea Savanna Agro-ecology of Ghana
November 2021
The adoption of new and high yielding pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) varieties can be boosted if they correspond to farmers’ preferences and answer the constraints prevailing in the production environments. Therefore, the focus of this study was to assess production constraints, farmers’ preferences and choices of varieties among pearl millet cultivating farmers using participatory rural...
Distribution and farmers’ knowledge on Fusarium wilt (Race 1) in cropping systems of Uganda
November 2021
The study aimed at understanding the spatial distribution of Fusarium wilt (FW) in different banana growing regions, ascertain the effect of management practices and plantation age on FW incidence, as well as investigate farmers’ knowledge regarding the symptoms and spread of FW in Uganda. Individual interviews were conducted in 119 farms using a pre-tested questionnaire and field observations during a survey in...
Genotypic variability, heritability and path analysis of yield components of determinate lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) inbred lines in Kenya
October 2021
Lablab is a leguminous crop that offers great potential as food and cash crop in Kenya. However, high yielding early maturing determinate varieties suitable for short season environments and for intercropping systems are lacking. This study was conducted to estimate heritability, genetic advance and correlation between grain yields and yield attributing traits of advanced inbred determinate lines. Thirty nine lablab F5...
Effect of integrated potassium nutrition on Fusarium wilt tolerance in apple bananas
September 2021
Potassium nutrition has been used in controlling fungal and bacterial diseases of plants. However, this has not yet been tested on control of Fusarium (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense -Foc), a major fungal disease constraining apple banana production. This study was set up with a general objective to investigate the effects of potassium on tolerance to Fusarium wilt in apple bananas using chlorophyll content, stomatal...
Correlation and path coefficient analysis studies in Ethiopian Mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun)
August 2021
Ethiopia is the center of origin for Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata). The crop is one of the oldest oil crops and farmers in the highlands of the country grow as a leafy vegetable in their gardens. However, no attempt has been made to assess the association of characters and path analysis in Ethiopian mustard leaf. This study was conducted to assess association of traits among leafy vegetable yield and yield...
Combining ability of quality protein maize inbred lines under low and optimum soil nitrogen environments in Ethiopia
August 2021
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop on which many smallholder farmers in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) depend on as a sole source of calories, proteins, and vitamins. However, conventional maize is deficient in two essential amino acids, lysine, and tryptophan. Thereafter, Quality Protein Maize (QPM) developed to combat protein malnutrition. In SSA low soil nitrogen is also the most limiting factor in maize...
Classifying highland quality protein maize in bred lines into heterotic groups
August 2021
Efforts to boost maize productivity can be undertaken through systematic management of heterosis. Combining ability test is a critical step towards identifying a heterotic group of new parental lines. Different heterotic grouping methods has been used by different researchers. Among these, SCA and hybrid mean, hybrid index, combined use of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), SSR markers and heterotic...
Meta-analysis of the effects of Rhizobia inoculants and phosphorus fertilizer on soybean nodulation in Africa
August 2021
Soybean has the potential to bring significant benefits in diversified cropping systems, which could help restructuring soil fertility and allow smallholders to increase grain yield. Rhizobium inoculation improves the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in legume crops and assists resource-poor farmers to increase grain yield at lower financial costs. The efficacy of symbiotic bacteria on legumes can also be...
Genetic variability and correlation of agronomic and malt quality traits in Ethiopian sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] landraces at Sheraro, Northern Ethiopia
July 2021
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a major cereal crop, grown in a wide range of agro-ecology. However, in Ethiopia there are very few high yielding improved sorghum varieties for malting purpose. A field experiment was conducted at Sheraro, sub-site of Mytseberi Agricultural Research Center during the 2017 cropping season. The objectives of the study were to identify sorghum landraces with high grain yield, study...
Standard heterosis and heterotic grouping of highland adapted maize (Zea Mays L.) inbred lines in Ethiopia
July 2021
The current study was initiated to estimate the magnitude of standard heterosis for grain yield and yield related traits in a line x tester hybrids and to classify the inbred lines into different heterotic groups. Fifty entries consisting of 48 testcrosses developed from 12 inbred lines and 4 testers using line x tester design and two commercial check hybrids used in the study. The experiment was conducted using alpha...
Growth, yield and phosphorus use efficiency of potato varieties propagated from apical rooted cuttings under variable phosphorus rates
July 2021
This study determined effect of phosphorus (P) rates on growth, yield and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) of potato varieties propagated from apical rooted cuttings. Experiments were conducted at Egerton University, Njoro and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research organization, Molo, in a split plot arrangement in randomized complete block design with three replicates. Main plot factors were four potato varieties...
Conservation agriculture-based Zea mays (maize)-Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) cropping systems in South Central Ethiopia
June 2021
Conservation agriculture (CA) is defined as sustainable agriculture production system comprising a set of farming practices. The experiment was conducted at three districts from 2011 to 2016 at five farmers’ field they considered as replicate. The experiment consisted of five treatments (continuous sole maize, maize bean rotation, maize-bean inter-cropping, bean rotation under CA and farmer practice). Maize yield...
Viral synergism and its role in management of maize lethal necrosis disease
June 2021
Maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND) in Kenya has been reported to be caused by a coinfection between a non-potyvirus Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and a potyvirus Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). The control of the disease in Kenya has been a challenge owing to the synergistic interactions that exist between the two viruses. This study, sought to determine the stage of synergism between the two viruses and its role...
Efficacy of soil solarization on the control of root-knot nematodes infecting eggplant (Solanum melongena) in Plateau State
June 2021
The efficacy of soil solarization was tested for the control of root-knot nematodes in Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State using three commercially available cultivars of eggplant (Solanum melongena) namely: Yallo Bello, Chida Masoyi and Farin Yallo. Two levels of soil solarization based on time of exposure namely: Four weeks, five weeks and a control were employed. Soil temperature for...
Genotypic screening of tomato’s AREB 1 gene for drought tolerance and computational protein structure prediction
June 2021
In this investigation, the coding sequence of the drought-stress inducible gene AREB1 in tomato derived from cDNA indicated 100% identity with the reference gene in the NCBI PlantEnsembl database. The protein structure of the AREB1 sequence derived from polymerase chain reaction from tomato DNA template was done using ExPASy and its protein parameter tools ProtParam. The structures of AREB1 protein showed a MolProbity...
Effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on sweet potato production in Iwo, Nigeria
May 2021
Sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) is one of the most important horticultural crops for human consumption and livestock feed. All parts of the plant are found useful to human consumption, animal feed, and industrial uses. Fertilizer applications have been shown to improve vegetative and storage parameters could be enhanced, but inorganic fertilizers are not always readily available, or are too expensive for prevalently...
Improvement of the kola tree cuttings root (Cola nitida) in nursery by removing the terminal bud of the semi-lignified plagiotropic cuttings
May 2021
The influence of the terminal bud treatment and genotype on the cutting of plagiotropic semi-lignified kola tree cuttings was studied with the aim of vegetative propagation. Two dressing modes cuttings (B1: Presence of terminal bud and B2: Absence of terminal bud) were tested on three genotypes (D9L20A3, 315 and 323) in a split-plot design with the genotype in the large plot and the cutting dressing mode in the small...
Comparative effect of weed control methods on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) in maize
April 2021
Mexican sunflower management in arable crops is becoming increasingly important due to its prevalent growth habit. The field experiments were conducted to compare weed suppressive abilities of two cover crops and two maize herbicides on Mexican sunflower. The treatments consist of the pre-emergence application of Primextra Gold (atrazine + metolachlor) at 4 l/ha, a post-emergence application of Aminoforce (2, 4-D)...
Litterfall production, nutrient input and soil fertility in yerba-mate agroforestry systems
April 2021
Adoption of agroforestry systems (AFS) for yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) production contributes to improvement of soil quality due to intense litterfall input. This study aimed (i) to quantify the litterfall input and its nutrients, as well as soil fertility attributes in yerba mate AFS (ii) to discriminate which soil fertility attributes and litterfall nutrients enabled differentiation of yerba mate AFS and...
Pharmacognostic and phytochemical characterization of Maerua angolensis DC.
April 2021
Maerua angolensis DC is a medicinal plant widely used in ethnomedicine in northern Nigeria. It is used to treat disease conditions like skin infections, sexually transmitted diseases, peptic ulcers and wounds amongst others. The plant is well known in Fulani Fulfude as leggal baali (or leggal mbaali). The plant was subjected to pharmacognostic and physicochemical characterization to establish standard profiles for...
The multi-level table and circular diagnostic chart as alternative taxonomic key formats for plant identification
March 2021
Correct identification of plants is a prerequisite to achieving desirable results in health care delivery, sustainable food production and housing, forest resources management and environmental protection. However, many of the paper-based/printable taxonomic key formats available to the taxonomist for this important responsibility are fraught with inadequacies some of which include fixed sequence of plant identification...
Grain yield and stability of selected early and medium duration cowpea in Ghana
March 2021
Changes in climate are a major driver for climate-smart crops with short duration on-field and adaptation to diverse growing conditions. This study evaluated the performance of nine early duration and 10 medium duration cowpea genotypes at six locations within the Guinea and Sudan savanna zones of Ghana. Genotypes for each maturity group were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications for...
Incidence and characterization of cassava mosaic viruses in improved and local cultivars in Sierra Leone
February 2021
In Sub-Sahara Africa, Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) is the major important viral disease of cassava which threatens production, livelihoods and food security. Frequently CMD is due to the Africa Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV), East African Cassava Mosaic Virus (EACMV) and the Ugandan strain of the East African virus (EACMV-UG). The present study investigated the prevalence of these three viruses in 27 cultivars (three...
Molecular characterization of garlic (Allium sativum L.) using SSR markers in Ethiopia
February 2021
Garlic is one of the most cultivated and medicinal horticultural crops in the world. Its production and productivity is decreased due to different constraints. Knowing the genetic distance will give information to tackle the constraints. This study characterized genetic diversity of garlic germplasm by analysis of eleven Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) loci in 115 garlic accession. Genomic DNA was extracted from fresh...
Solving the mystery of the construction and elucidating the structural and functionality attributes of dichotomous key, a widely used tool for plant identification
February 2021
The significance of correct identification of plants is acknowledged in many human endeavours such as health care, food production, sustainable housing, forest resources management and environmental protection. Plant identification is usually carried out by means of descriptions and keys, which are available in floras, manuals or other taxonomic publications, the most widely used tool being the dichotomous key. However,...
Genetic relationship and the occurrence of multiple gene resistance to coffee berry disease (Colletotrichum kahawae, Waller & Bridge) within selected Coffea arabica varieties in Kenya
January 2021
The Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) epidemics destroy up to 100% of the crop on a susceptible variety. Resistance to CBD is conferred by the T-gene in Hibrido De Timor (HDT), R-gene in Rume Sudan (RS), and k-gene in K7, which were assembled in resistance varieties Ruiru 11(R11) and Batian. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic relationship between R11 and Batian with their parents' HDT, RS, SL8 and confirm...
Genetic characterization of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) accessions in selected counties in Kenya using SSR markers
January 2021
Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a neglected high potential crop, knowledge of the genetic diversity of the genotypes domesticated in Kenya is limited. To understand the genetic diversity and structure within and between Cape gooseberry germplasm, 70 accessions from six selected counties were analyzed using 15 pairs of highly polymorphic SSR primers. In this study, a total of 61 polymorphic SSR alleles were...
Variation of Parkia biglobosa morphological traits according to land use and agro-climatic zones in Southern Mali
January 2021
A study was conducted in southern Mali to contribute to the domestication of Parkia biglobosa. Three agro climatic zones (North Sudanian “NS”, South Sudanian “SS” and North Guinean “NG”) and two stands (field and fallow) were concerned. Three plots of 0.25 ha each, were installed in each stand. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), Total Height (TH) and Crown Diameter (CD) of adult trees...
Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Müell.-Arg.) production, processing, and rubber wastes utilization: Challenges and prospects for economic diversification and sustainable development of Nigeria
January 2021
Over 80% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings come from the sales of crude petroleum. Nigeria has a landmass of 910,768 km2 with 38.97% arable, while 3.46% is suitable for the cultivation of permanent cash crops such as rubber, cocoa and palm trees. High-latex yields (3,000-3,500 kg dry natural rubber (NR)/ha/year) of Nigeria’s hybrid rubber seedlings is a preferred choice to most foreign species...
Association between agro-morphological traits in common bean under organic fertilization management in Brazil
January 2021
The objective of this work was to analyze the association between agro-morphological traits of the common bean cultivar “BRS Esplendor” under organic fertilization management. The experiment was implemented in the field, in a randomized block design, with three replications, in a split plot scheme, with two types of organic compounds (grass enriched with cattle manure and bean straw enriched with cattle...
Morphological studies on legume and hilum in seven species of Vigna Savi (Fabaceae)
December 2020
In this study of different taxa of genus Vigna the macro and micromorphological characters were investigated. These taxa collected from different countries (3 cultivated and 8 annual or perennial herbs) representing 7 species of this genus, namely: Vigna radiate, Vigna trilobata, Vigna vexillata, Vigna caracalla, Vigna pubescens, Vigna unguiculata, and Vigna luteola. Legume features such as shape, colour, size, surface...
Evaluation of wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) for yield and yield characteristics under low land area at Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia
December 2020
The objective of this research was to evaluate wheat genotypes for yield and yield characteristics under the low land area of Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted with 27 bread wheat genotypes in a randomized complete block design with two replications at Amibara Farm, Arba Minch from March to June 2020. Varieties differed significantly (p<0.01) for the yield related characters and yield....
Ecology and morphological characterization of the genus Phellinus sensu-lato (Basidiomycetes, Hymenochaetaceae) in Burkina Faso
November 2020
Phellinus sensu lato is a genus of polypores that are morphologically, biologically and phylogenetically highly diverse. This genus is composed of sessile and lignicolous species. Species belonging to this genus are found in all regions of the world where they decompose wood or live as tree parasites. In Burkina Faso, few studies have been conducted on this taxonomic group. Thus, these collections were carried out...
Evaluation of plant extracts for the management of Cercospora leaf spot of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
November 2020
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a leguminous crop with high economic and nutritional value. However, increased production is hampered by Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) caused by Cercospora arachidicola and Cercosporidium personatum. Studies were conducted in vitro and in vivo to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous extracts of desert date seed (DDSE), neem seed (NSE), jatropha seed (JSE) and tobacco leaf (TLE) for the...
Indoor characterization of three durum wheat genotypes exposed to drought and heat stress during early vegetative growth stages
November 2020
Selection of wheat varieties that have improved adaptation to abiotic stress is important for increasing and stabilizing yields under fluctuating environmental conditions, especially as global climate changes. A trial to estimate adaptation of wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) genotypes to abiotic stress has been performed, in a growth chamber. By counting the number of dead (yellow) plants, together with yellow...
Study of root traits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under drought stress
November 2020
Roots are among the first defence towards drought with other morpho-physiological and biochemical mechanisms employed by plants. To understand precisely the root traits contribution towards yield, parental chickpea genotypes with well known drought response were field evaluated under drought and optimal irrigation in rain-out shelter. A total of ten genotypes planted in 1.2 m PVC lysimeters were subjected to three water...
Protocol optimization for in vitro propagation of Kulfo, orange flesh sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) variety using shoot tip culture
October 2020
Conventional propagation methods of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. var Kulfo) through stem cutting require large amount of propagules and large space for preparation. It has high risk of disease transmission to the next generation. In vitro propagation is the best alternative to overcome such limitations. This study was conducted to optimize protocol for in vitro propagation of Kulfo sweet potato variety using...
Abundance and impact of Parthenium hysterophorus L., an alien invasive herb on plant species diversity in invaded areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
October 2020
Parthenium hysterophorus is an alien annual herb that aggressively threatens biodiversity of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda. Occurrence, abundance and impact of P. hysterophorus on plant species diversity were examined. An observational inspection survey assessed the occurrence of P. hysterophorus while Quadrats sampled vegetation in P. hysterophorus invaded and uninvaded sites of Mweya Peninsula and...
Botryosphaeriaceae associated with baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) and marula (Sclerocarya birrea A. Rich.) in agroforestry systems in Kenya
October 2020
Indigenous fruit trees such as baobab and marula provide key nutrients and income for smallholders and enhance diversification of agroforestry systems in the drylands of Sub Saharan Africa. Cankers and diebacks are increasingly observed impacting baobab and marula in domestication trials and farms in Kenya, but little is known on disease occurrence and associated pathogens. Field disease incidence and severity was...
A review of plant characterization: First step towards sustainable forage production in challenging environments
September 2020
This review paper attempts to give account of how plant characterization assists the availability of information on desirable plant traits, to enhance selective breeding for environmental stresses and thus attain sustainable forage production. Plant characterization is referred to as an account for heritable characters varying from agronomical, morphological to molecular markers. It simplifies grouping of...
Allelopathic effect of extracts from selected weeds on germination and seedling growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) varieties
September 2020
Chromolaena odorata, Euphorbia heterophylla and Tridax procumbens are common weeds that are prevalent in cowpea fields. The physiological influence of three dilution concentrations of the aqueous root and shoot extracts of the weeds were examined on seed germination, plumule length, radicle length, fresh and dry weights of plumule and radicle of two varieties of cowpea in the laboratory. The experiment was laid out in a...
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