Striga is one of most notorious weeds devastating crop production in the dry savannas of northern Nigeria. The weed attacks most cultivated cereals and legumes with crop losses as high as 100% when no control measure is employed. Studies conducted in the dry savannas of Nigeria indicated that Striga seedbank is strongly related to soil and climate properties. This study was conducted to model Striga hermonthica seedbank zones in the dry savannas of Nigeria based on soil and climate properties of ...

Introduction: Landraces represent a significant gene pool of African cultivated white Guinea yam diversity. They could, therefore, serve as a potential donor of important traits such as resilience to stresses as well as food quality attributes that may be useful in modern yam breeding. This study assessed the pattern of genetic variability, quantitative trait loci (QTLs), alleles, and genetic merits of landraces, which could be exploited in breeding for more sustainable yam production in Africa. ...

The parasitic weed, Striga is a major biological constraint to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and threatens food and nutrition security. Two hundred and twenty-three (223) F2:3 mapping population involving individuals derived from TZdEI 352 x TZEI 916 were phenotyped for four Striga-adaptive traits and genotyped using the Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) to determine the genomic regions responsible for Striga resistance in maize. After removing distorted SNP markers, a genetic ...

In the past, much of the emphasis on soybean research in Ethiopia has been on the development and testing of new varieties and classical agronomic trials with limited use of crop models that help in estimating the potential yield and yield gaps, and identifying the most important barriers of achieving optimal yield. CROPGRO-soybean model is an important tool for estimating the potential yield and yield gaps of soybean under various management and environmental conditions. The objectives of this ...

Control of fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) since its invasion of Africa still depends on pesticides. Early detection of adults is considered the key to the success of larvae control in the crop field. However, FAW control thresholds based on current monitoring techniques are not well established in Africa. We investigated the efficacy of moth capture frequencies and FAW incidence levels as decision tools for FAW management. Experiments were conducted ...

The extent of crop residues and agricultural byproducts utilization for their integration in feeding systems in Eastern DR Congo was assessed in South-Kivu (Walungu territoire) and two territoires in the Tanganyika province (Kalemie and Moba territoires). Data were collected through 21 focus group discussions in which 273 farmers participated including respectively 116 (42%) from South Kivu and 157 (58%) from Tanganyika province. A logistic regression model was used to determine factors influencing ...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a staple crop for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. However, its production is challenged by various abiotic and biotic constraints, including fungal diseases. In February 2020, around 10% of cowpea plants in IITA-Ibadan research plots (N7°29'49'' E3°53'49'') had symptoms of cowpea anthracnose disease (CAD). Symptoms included reddish brown spots, necrotic lesions, and vein streaks (Fig. 1). Diseased leaves were collected and taken to the laboratory, ...

Aspergillus flavus infects a wide range of crops, including pistachio, and subsequent aflatoxin contamination results in significant economic losses. Application of biocontrol products based on nonaflatoxigenic (atoxigenic) strains of A. flavus is one of the most effective tactics for controlling aflatoxins in crops. Both risk of aflatoxin contamination and effectiveness of biocontrol are influenced by the extent to which A. flavus spores move into pistachio tree canopies during periods of nut ...

The role played by youth in agriculture cannot be overemphasized, while agribusinesses are important generators of employment and income worldwide. Improving the sustainability of food value chains can benefit millions of rural poor people living in developing countries, especially young women. Despite policies and programs aimed at encouraging agricultural entrepreneurs, they are still facing challenges such as high-cost agrochemicals, limited access to credit, price volatility, etc. which seriously ...

Following the development and dissemination of new climate-smart agricultural technologies to farmers globally, there has been an increase in the number of socio-economic studies on the adoption of climate-smart integrated pests’ management (CS-IPM) technologies over the years. In this study, we review empirical evidence on adoption determinants of CS-IPM technologies and identify possible science-policy interfaces. Generally, our review shows that socioeconomic and institutional factors are ...