July 2015

Adverse impact of Banana Xanthomonas Wilt on farmers’ livelihoods in Eastern and Central Africa

Banana is a key crop in the livelihoods of many people in the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa. For more than a decade now, the crop has been threatened by Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) which has spread throughout the region but at different rates. The disease attacks all banana cultivars and can cause up to 100% yield losses at farm level if effective control measures are not put in place. However, limited...

Author(s): Jackson Nkuba, William Tinzaara, Gertrude Night, Nicholas Niko, Wellington Jogo, Innocent Ndyetabula, Leornard Mukandala, Privat Ndayihazamaso, Celestin Niyongere, Svetlana Gaidashova, Ivan Rwomushana, Fina Opio and Eldad Karamura

July 2015

Phytochemical evaluation of various parts of Dracaena arborea Link. and Dracaena mannii Bak.

Phytochemical evaluation of leaves, stems and roots of Dracaena arborea (Link) and Dracaena mannii (Bak) present in southeastern Nigeria was carried out, to determine their taxonomical data with regards to their phytochemicals contents (flavonoid, saponin, tannin, cyanide, lectin, phytate and calcium oxalate) using standard methods. The results show varying quantities of the phytochemicals in the leaves, stems and roots...

Author(s): Chinyere V. Ilodibia, Rachael U. Ugwu, C. U. Okeke, Ebele E. Akachukwu and Chinelo A. Ezeabara

July 2015

Assessing the genetic diversity of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] accessions from Sudan using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among 252 cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.)Walp) accessions collected throughout the six geographical regions of Sudan were evaluated using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Eighteen (18) published primer pairs were selected based on their informativeness, out of which 16 primer pairs gave reproducible results among all of the cowpea accessions tested. A total...

Author(s): Ali Z. B., YAO K. N., Odeny D. A., Kyalo M., Skilton R. and Eltahir I. M.