Journal and Journal Articles: Recent submissions

Now showing items 441-460 of 5157

    • A molecular survey of bacterial species in the guts of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) reared on two urban organic waste streams in Kenya 

      Shumo, M.; Khamis, F.M.; Ombura, F.L.O.; Tanga, C.M.; Fiaboe, K.; Subramanian, S.; Ekesi, S.; Schluter, O.K.; Huis, A.V.; Borgemeister, C. (2021-09-22)
      Globally, the expansion of livestock and fisheries production is severely constrained due to the increasing costs and ecological footprint of feed constituents. The utilization of black soldier fly (BSF) as an alternative protein ingredient to fishmeal and soybean in animal feed has been widely documented. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) used are known to voraciously feed and grow in contaminated organic wastes. Thus, several concerns about their safety for inclusion into animal feed remain ...

    • Contributions of integrated aflatoxin management strategies to achieve the sustainable development goals in various African countries 

      Ortega-Beltran, A.; Bandyopadhyay, R. (2021-09)
      In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to achieve peace and prosperity for all people in the planet. Meeting that ambitious agenda depends on fulfilling all objectives of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Multiple approaches by diverse actors, many of them interconnected, will allow achieving each SDG. However, with compromised food security and food safety, many SDGs will not be realized. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), maize and groundnut ...

    • Resistance of maize landraces from Mexico to aflatoxin contamination: influence of aflatoxin-producing fungi genotype and length of incubation 

      Ortega-Beltran, A.; Jaime, R.; Cotty, P. (2021-09-15)
      Aflatoxin contamination is common in several crops, including maize, in warm agricultural areas. For over 40 years, there have been many efforts to develop maize germplasm with resistance to aflatoxin contamination produced by Aspergillus flavus Link:Fr. In Mexico, there are native maize landraces (MLRs) with superior resistance to both aflatoxin contamination and kernel rot by A. flavus. Resistance mechanisms for some MLRs have been characterized. We investigated whether MLRs vary in susceptibility ...

    • Does investment in palm oil trade alleviate smallholders from poverty in Africa? Investigating profitability from a biodiversity hotspot, Cameroon 

      Ayompe, L.M.; Nkongho, R.N.; Masso, C.; Egoh, B.N. (2021)
      In this study we investigate whether the increasing investment in smallholder oil palm plantations that contributes to deforestation is motivated by financial gains or other factors. We evaluate the financial viability of smallholder farmers selling fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) to intermediaries or agro-industrial companies with mills, or processing the FFBs in artisanal mills to produce palm oil. We use data collected in four oil palm production basins in Cameroon and carried out a life cycle ...

    • Efficacy of nutrient management options for finger millet production on degraded smallholder farms in eastern Uganda 

      Ebanyat, P.; de Ridder, N.; Bekunda, M.; Delve, R.J.; Giller, K. (2021-09)
      Poor soil fertility is a major problem constraining crop productivity in smallholder farms of sub-Saharan Africa due to inadequate nutrient replenishment. Differential management of nutrients creates areas of accumulation and depletion of nutrients within farms with the latter increasing in spatial coverage. Nutrient additions are required to increase crop production in such degraded areas. We used experimental data to evaluate the potential of inorganic fertilizers and organic manures to offset ...

    • Sustainable but hungry? Food security outcomes of certification for cocoa and oil palm smallholders in Ghana 

      Dompreh, E.B.; Asare, R.; Gasparatos, A. (2021)
      Cocoa and oil palm are the major commodity crops produced in Ghana and livelihood options for hundreds of thousands of rural households. However, their production has negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Certification standards have been promoted as a market-led mechanism to ensure their sustainable production. Even though food security does not feature in the theory of change of most certification standards, there are interesting intersections. This paper assesses the food security ...

    • Seed set patterns in east African highland cooking bananas show asymmetric distribution in bunches and fruits 

      Waniale, A.; Swennen, R.; Mukasa, S.; Tugume, A.K.; Kubiriba, J.; Tushemereirwe, W.K.; Batte, M.; Brown, A.; Tumuhimbise, R. (2021)
      Low female fertility in bananas is the biggest hurdle for banana breeding. The aim of this study was to determine seed set patterns in East African Highland Cooking bananas (EAHBs) to inform future decisions on a more targeted approach of increasing seed set and subsequently banana-breeding efficiency. Matooke (AAA) and Mchare (AA) bananas are genetically distinct but belong to the same genetic complex, referred to as EAHBs. Seed set patterns in “Enzirabahima” (AAA), “Mshale” (AA), and “Nshonowa” ...

    • Conversion and validation of uniplex SNP markers for selection of resistance to Cassava Mosaic Disease in Cassava breeding programs 

      Ige, A.D.; Olasanmi, B.; Mbanjo, E.; Kayondo, S.I.; Parkes, E.; Kulakow, P.; Egesi, C.; Bauchet, G.J.; Ng, E.; Lopez-Lavalle, L. A.; Ceballos, H.; Rabbi, I.Y. (2021)
      Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is a major viral disease adversely affecting cassava production in Africa and Asia. Genomic regions conferring resistance to the disease have been mapped in African cassava germplasm through biparental quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association studies. To facilitate the utilization of these markers in breeding pipelines to support selections, proof-of-concept technical and biological validation research was carried out using independent pre-breeding ...

    • Physico-chemical soil attributes under conservation agriculture and integrated soil fertility management 

      Mutuku, E.A.; Vanlauwe, B.; Roobroeck, D.; Boeckx, P.; Cornelis, W.M. (2021)
      Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) have been promoted in Sub Saharan Africa as a means to improve soil quality. A four season research (March, 2017 to March, 2019) was conducted to evaluate CA-based treatment, no tillage with residue retention (NTR), ISFM-based treatment, conventional tillage with use of manure (CTM), a combination of CA + ISFM, no tillage with residue retention and use of manure (NTRM) and a control, (C) on soil quality attributes. In ...

    • Perennial grass ley rotations with annual crops in tropical Africa: a review 

      Wortmann, C.S.; Bilgo, A.; Kaizzi, C.K.; Liben, F.; Garba, M.; Maman, N.; Serme, I.; Stewart, Z.P. (2021)
      Rotation of grass ley with periods of annual crop production can be a means to increased farming system productivity, sustainability, and profitability. This research review offers interpretations of rotation research results for future African agriculture. Some rotation studies were with naturally generated and severely over-grazed fallows consisting primarily of annual plant species but other studies were with planted and well-managed perennial grass ley. Generally, the rotations increased annual ...

    • Do youth farmers benefit from participating in contract farming? Evidence from French beans youth farmers in Arusha, Tanzania 

      Marwa, M.E.; Manda, J. (2022-09-04)
      Contract farming (CF) is often seen as a system that enhances production efficiency leading to increased agricultural productivity and improved farmer livelihoods. However, there is a conflict in the literature on its impact on young farmers who are involved in farming in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper evaluates the impacts of CF on crop yield, crop and household income among the youth farmers involved in French bean farming in Tanzania using cross-sectional data of 273 households. The study employs ...

    • Suitability of root, tuber, and banana crops in Central Africa can be favoured under future climates 

      Manners, R.; Vandamme, E.; Adewopo, J.; Thornton, P.; Friedmann, M.; Carpentier, S.C.; Ezui, K.S.; Thiele, G. (2021-08)
      Context Climate change is projected to negatively impact food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The magnitude of these impacts is expected to be amplified by the extensive reliance on rainfed agriculture and the prevalence of subsistence farming. In the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa, smallholder farming households are largely dependent on root, tuber and banana crops. However, the potential impacts of various climate change scenarios on these crops are not well reported. Yet, data-rich insights ...

    • Assessing the use of a drought‑tolerant variety as adaptation strategy for maize production under climate change in the savannas of Nigeria 

      Tofa, A.I.; Kamara, A.Y.; Babaji, B.A.; Akinseye, F.M.; Bebeley, J.F. (2021)
      The Decision Support System for Agricultural Technology Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify the impact of climate change on maize yield and the potential benefits of the use of drought-tolerant maize variety over non-drought tolerant variety in savanna ecological zones of Nigeria. Projections of maize yields were estimated for three locations representing different agro-climatic zones and soil conditions, in the mid-century (2040–2069) and end-century (2070–2099) under representative concentration ...

    • Effects of drought stress on grain yield, agronomic performance, and heterosis of marker-based improved provitamin-A maize synthetics and their hybrids 

      Iseghohi, I.; Abe, A.; Meseka, S.K.; Mengesha Abera, W.; Gedil, M.; Menkir, A. (2021-05-01)
      Provitamin A-enriched maize (Zea mays L.) is an important complementary food staple for combating vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in high maize-producing and maize-consuming countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, frequent drought is a major abiotic factor that retards maize growth, resulting in yearly fluctuations in grain yield. Development of provitamin A-enriched maize varieties resilient to recurrent drought stress could enhance and stabilize maize grain yield. This study was conducted to ...

    • Optimized protocol for in vitro pollen germination in yam (Dioscorea spp.) 

      Mondo, J.M.; Agre, P.A.; Asiedu, R.; Akoroda, M.O.; Asfaw, A. (2021)
      Yam (Dioscorea spp.) plants are mostly dioecious and sometimes monoecious. Low, irregular, and asynchronous flowering of the genotypes are critical problems in yam breeding. Selecting suitable pollen parents and preserving yam pollen for future use are potential means of controlling these constraints and optimizing hybridization practice in yam breeding programs. However, implementing such procedures requires a robust protocol for pollen collection and viability testing to monitor pollen quality ...

    • Unpacking the value of traditional African vegetables for food and nutrition security 

      Mwadzingeni, L.; Afari-Sefa, V.; Shimelis, H.; N'Danikou, S.; Figlan, S.; Depenbusch, L.; Shayanowako, A.I.T.; Chagomoka, T.; Mushayi, M.; Schreinemachers, P.; Derera, J. (2021-03-16)
      There is a need for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa to diversify into more nutrient-rich crops to meet the subcontinent’snutritional needs in terms of micronutrients and reduce health risks related to high and rising rates of overweight/obesity.Many traditional African vegetables (TAVs) are nutrient-dense and have much potential to reduce malnutrition. These vegetablescan also provide sustainable incomes to rural, urban and peri-urban farming communities. In addition to their high economicvalues ...

    • Breeding maize (Zea mays) for striga resistance: past, current and prospects in sub-Saharan Africa 

      Yacoubou, A.M.; Wallis, Z.N.; Menkir, A.; Zinsou, V.A.; Onzo, A.; Garcia‐Oliveira, A.L.; Meseka, S.; Mengesha Abera, W.; Gedil, M.; Agre, P. (2021-04)
      Striga hermonthica, causes up to 100% yield loss in maize production in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Developing Striga‐resistant maize cultivars could be a major component of integrated Striga management strategies. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of maize breeding activities related to Striga resistance and its management. Scientific surveys have revealed that conventional breeding strategies have been used more than molecular breeding strategies in maize improvement for Striga resistance. ...

    • Nutritional and microbial quality of extruded fish feeds containing black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L) larvae meal as a replacement for fish meal for tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and catfish (Clarius gariepinus) 

      Were, G.J.; Irungu, F.G.; Ngoda, P.N.; Affognon, H.; Ekesi, S.; Nakimbugwe, D.; Fiaboe, K.; Mutungi, C. (2021)
      The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) is a potential substitute of fish meal in feeds. However, information on the nutrition and safety of these feeds is inadequate. This study examined the quality of fish feed pellets extruded from blends formulated with and without black soldier fly larval meal (BSFLM). A further aim was to study the influence of extrusion processing types on feed composition. Two iso-proteinous feed blends containing 28% protein were formulated with 0% BSFLM (BSFLM0) and ...

    • Trends of rainfall onset, cessation, and length of growing season in northern Ghana: comparing the rain gauge, satellite, and farmer's perceptions 

      Atiah, W.A.; Muthoni, F.K.; Kotu, B.H.; Kizito, F.; Amekudzi, L.K. (2021-12-13)
      Rainfall onset and cessation date greatly influence cropping calendar decisions in rain-fed agricultural systems. This paper examined trends of onsets, cessation, and the length of growing season over Northern Ghana using CHIRPS-v2, gauge, and farmers’ perceptions data between 1981 and 2019. Results from CHIRPS-v2 revealed that the three seasonal rainfall indices have substantial latitudinal variability. Significant late and early onsets were observed at the West and East of 1.5◦ W longitude, ...

    • Characterization of striga-resistant yellow-orange maize hybrids for bioactive, carbohydrate and pasting properties 

      Elemosho, A.O.; Irondi, E.A.; Alamu, E.O.; Ajani, E.O.; Maziya-Dixon, B.; Menkir, A. (2020)
      Understanding the bioactive constituents and physicochemical components in cereals can provide insights into their potential health benefits and food applications. This study evaluated some bioactive constituents, carbohydrate profiles and pasting properties of 16 Striga-resistant hybrids, with yellow-orange kernel color and semi-flint to flint kernel texture, grown in two replications at two field locations in Nigeria. Carotenoids were quantified using HPLC, while other analyses were carried out ...