Journal and Journal Articles: Recent submissions

Now showing items 521-540 of 5157

    • Genetic dissection of yield associated traits in a cross between cowpea and yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) based on DArT markers 

      Garcia-Oliveira, A.L.; Zate, Z.Z.; Olasanmi, B.; Boukar, O.; Gedil, M.; Fatokun, C. (2020-06-19)
      Both cowpea and yard-long bean belong to Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata but have diverged through human induced evolution in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, respectively. To map the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for yield associated traits and derive new lines that may combine the attributes of both types, we developed a F2:3 mapping population derived from a cross between cowpea line TVu2185 and yard-long bean line TVu6642. Using DArT markers, a total of 30 QTLs accounting for 1.8–13.0% phenotypic ...

    • Evaluation of Mchare and Matooke Bananas for Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 1 

      Ndayihanzamaso, P.; Mostert, D.; Matthews, M.C.; Mahuku, G.; Jomanga, K.; Mpanda, H.J.; Mduma, H.; Brown, A.; Uwimana, B.; Swennen, R.; Tumuhimbise, R.; Viljoen, A. (2020-09)
      Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) race 1, is a major disease of bananas in East Africa. Triploid East African Highland (Matooke) bananas are resistant to Foc race 1, but the response of diploid (Mchare and Muraru) bananas to the fungus is largely unknown. A breeding project was initiated in 2014 to increase crop yield and improve disease and pest resistance of diploid and triploid East African Highland bananas. In this study, eight Mchare cultivars ...

    • Rendement en feuilles et racines de trois variétés améliorées de manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) en réponse aux fertilisants organo-minéraux et à la récolte des feuilles au Sud-Ouest du Nigeria 

      Moita-Nassy, M.; Hauser, S.; Egwekhide, M.; Batawila, K.; Kulakow, P.; Abberton, M. (2020-05)
      L’étude a été menée dans l’objectif d’évaluer la production de trois variétés améliorées de manioc en réponse à la récolte des feuilles et aux fertilisants NPK, compost et Compost-NPK. L’essai a été fait selon le dispositif en split-split plot, à blocs aléatoires complets à trois facteurs et trois réplications. Les récoltes ont été réalisées à 3 mois et 5 mois après la plantation. La récolte finale a été faite à 12 Mois Après la Plantation (MAP). Le résultat montre qu’une différence non significative ...

    • Diversity and structure of prokaryotic communities within organic and conventional farming systems in central highlands of Kenya 

      Karanja, E.N.; Fliessbach, A.; Adamtey, N.; Kambura, A.K.; Musyoka, M.; Fiaboe, K.; Mwirichia, R. (2020)
      Management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, irrigation, organic and inorganic inputs application are known to influence diversity and function of soil microbial populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of conventional versus organic farming systems at low and high input levels on structure and diversity of prokaryotic microbial communities. Soil samples were collected from the ongoing long-term farming system comparison trials established in 2007 at Chuka and Thika in Kenya. ...

    • Integrated health interventions for improved livelihoods: a case study in Ethiopia 

      Kassie, M.; Abro, Z.; Assfaw Wossen, T.; Ledermann, S.; Diiro, G.; Ballo, S.; Belayhun, L. (2020)
      Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face multifaceted and co-existing risks, such as human and animal diseases and pests. Even though smallholder farmers often experience these challenges simultaneously, interventions to address these challenges are often implemented in a piecemeal fashion. However, managing agricultural production constraints without alleviating human and livestock health burdens might not generate significant and sustained benefits to achieve the desired development ...

    • The genetic basis and nutritional benefits of pigmented rice grain 

      Mbanjo, E.G.N.; Kretzschmar, T.; Jones, H.; Ereful, N.; Blanchard, C.; Boyd, L.A.; Sreenivasulu, N. (2020-03-13)
      Improving the nutritional quality of rice grains through modulation of bioactive compounds and micronutrients represents an efficient means of addressing nutritional security in societies which depend heavily on rice as a staple food. White rice makes a major contribution to the calorific intake of Asian and African populations, but its nutritional quality is poor compared to that of pigmented (black, purple, red orange, or brown) variants. The compounds responsible for these color variations are ...

    • Genetic diversity of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) colonizing sweet potato and cassava in South Sudan 

      Misaka, B.C.; Wosula, E.N.; Marchelo-d’Ragga, P.W.; Hvoslef-Eide, T.; Legg, J. (2020)
      Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a polyphagous, highly destructive pest that is capable of vectoring viruses in most agricultural crops. Currently, information regarding the distribution and genetic diversity of B. tabaci in South Sudan is not available. The objectives of this study were to investigate the genetic variability of B. tabaci infesting sweet potato and cassava in South Sudan. Field surveys were conducted between August 2017 and July and August 2018 in 10 locations in Juba County, Central ...

    • Assessment of factors influencing youth involvement in horticulture agribusiness in Tanzania: a case study of Njombe region 

      Ng’atigwa, A.A.; Hepelwa, A.; Yami, M.; Manyong, V. (2020)
      Involvement of youth in horticulture agribusiness has become a vital approach to create employment opportunities among the youth in Tanzania. This study aimed at examining the extent of youth participation and factors influencing youth involvement in horticulture agribusiness with a focus on innovations in post-harvest management (PHM). Data were collected from a sample of 576 male and female youth in Njombe region using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using an ordered ...

    • Estimating multidimensional poverty AmongCassava producers in Nigeria: patterns and socioeconomic determinants 

      Olarinde, L.O.; Abass, A.B.; Abdoulaye, T.; Adepoju, A.A.; Fanifosi, E.G.; Adio, M.O.; Adeniyi, O.A.; Wasiu, A. (2020)
      The scourge of poverty, including its correlates, has been witnessing an incremental sequence over the years in Nigeria despite the natural endowment of the country. Efforts by various stakeholders to address this problem have not yielded tangible results. Using cross-sectional data collected in 2015 on 775 cassava farmers spread across four geographical zones, this study estimates multidimensional poverty of cassava producers in Nigeria. This is to determine the factors responsible for poverty ...

    • The influence of social networking on food security status of cassava farming households in Nigeria 

      Olarinde, L.O.; Abass, A.B.; Abdoulaye, T.; Adepoju, A.A.; Adio, M.O.; Fanifosi, E.G.; Wasiu, A. (2020-07-04)
      Abstract: Food security, at national and household levels, is on the decline because traditional capital (physical, natural, human and financial) has not fully led to its improvement. There is an increasing shift of attention to social capital as an element that explains household food security, but there is a lack of adequately documented information on this. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of social capital on food security, using data collected on a cross-section of 775 cassava ...

    • The Cassava Source-Sink project: opportunities and challenges for crop improvement by metabolic engineering 

      Sonnewald, U.; Fernie, A.R.; Gruissem, W.; Schlapfer, P.; Anjanappa, R.B.; Chang, S.H.; Ludewig, F.; Rascher, U.; Muller, O.; van Doorn, A.M.; Rabbi, I.Y.; Zierer, W. (2020-08)
      Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the important staple foods in Sub‐Saharan Africa. It produces starchy storage roots that provide food and income for several hundred million people, mainly in tropical agriculture zones. Increasing cassava storage root and starch yield is one of the major breeding targets with respect to securing the future food supply for the growing population of Sub‐Saharan Africa. The Cassava Source–Sink (CASS) project aims to increase cassava storage root and starch ...

    • Gliricidia agroforestry technology adoption potential in selected dryland areas of Dodoma region, Tanzania 

      Swamila, M.; Philip, D.; Akyoo, A.M.; Sieber, S.; Bekunda, M.; Kimaro, A.A. (2020-07-20)
      Declining soil fertility is one of the major problems facing producers of field crops in most dryland areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In response to the declining soil fertility, extensive participatory research has been undertaken by the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and smallholder farmers in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The research has, amongst others, led to the development of Gliricidia agroforestry technology. The positive impact of Gliricidia intercropping on crop yields has been established. However, ...

    • Banana biomass estimation and yield forecasting from non-destructive measurements for two contrasting cultivars and water regimes 

      Stevens, B.; Diels, J.; Brown, A.; Bayo, S.; Ndakidemi, P. A.; Swennen, R. (2020-09-21)
      The largest abiotic constraint threatening banana (Musa spp.) production is water stress, impacting biomass buildup and yields; however, so far no studies have investigated the effects of water stress on allometric equations in banana. Weighted least square regression models were built for (i) estimating aboveground vegetative dry biomass (ABGVD) and corm dry biomass (cormD) and (ii) forecasting bunch fresh weight (bunchF), based on non-destructive parameters for two cultivars, Mchare Huti-Green ...

    • Genotype x environment interaction analysis of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) grain yield across production environments in southern Africa 

      Mwiinga, B.; Sibiya, J.; Kondwakwenda, A.; Musvosvi, C.; Chigeza, G. (2020-10-01)
      Development of high yielding and stable cultivars of various crops across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states is in line with the recently enacted SADC’s seed harmonisation act. This study, therefore, focused on evaluating soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] lines developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for yield and stability across SADC test environments using the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis. ...

    • Maize hybrids response to high plant density in the Guinea savannah of Nigeria 

      Kamara, A.Y.; Menkir, A.; Abubakar, A.W.; Tofa, A.I.; Ademulegun, T.D.; Omoigui, L.O.; Kamai, N. (2020-07-07)
      Several maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids have been developed and commercialized in the Nigeria savannas, but limited informationis available on how they perform at plant densities higher than the recommended density of 53,333 plants ha-1. Therefore, field trials were conducted in northern Nigeria in 2015 and 2016 at two locations with contrasting rainfall amount to evaluate the performance of selected maize hybrids at plant densities of 53,333 and 88,888 plants ha-1. All maize hybrids had higher grain ...

    • Susceptibility of ten tomato cultivars to attack by Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tetranychidae) under laboratory conditions 

      Djossou, R.; Azandémè-Hounmalon, G.Y.; Onzo, A.; Gnanvossou, D.; Assogba-Komlan, F.; Tamò, M. (2020-07-28)
      We evaluated, in a laboratory experiment, the susceptibility of 10 tomato cultivars to the attack by the tomato red spider mite Tetranychus evansi, an invasive pest of this crop in Benin. Among the 10 cultivars tested, six were imported (i.e. Roma VF, Tima, Rio Grande, Buffalo, Petomech, and TLCV15) and four local (i.e. Akikon, Tounvi, TomL4, and Kèkèfo). Leaf disks (2.5 cm diameter) excised from leaves of tested cultivars, and placed upper side down on top of water-soaked cotton wool laying in ...

    • Towards sustainable yield improvement: field inoculation of soybean with Bradyrhizobium and co‑inoculation with Azospirillum in Mozambique 

      Chibeba, A.M.; Kyei-Boahen, S.; de Fátima Guimarães, M.; Nogueira, M.A.; Hungria, M. (2020-11)
      The effects of sole inoculation of soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) with Bradyrhizobium and co-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium and Azospirillum on nodulation, plant growth and yields were investigated in the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 cropping seasons under field conditions in Mozambique. The treatments included (1) Control (non-inoculated control, with symbiosis depending on indigenous rhizobia), (2) Urea (non-inoculated, receiving 200 kg ha−1 of N), (3) Sole inoculation with B. diazoefficiens strain ...

    • Life history and temperature-dependence of cassava-colonising populations of Bemisia tabaci 

      Aregbesola, O.Z.; Legg, J.P.; Lund, O.S.; Sigsgaard, L.; Sporleder, M.; Carhuapoma, P.; Rapisarda, C. (2020-06-17)
      The whiteflies belonging to the species group Bemisia tabaci transmit viruses that are the greatest constraint to the production of cassava, Africa’s most important food security crop. We studied the life history of an endemic African population of B. tabaci SSA-ESA at six constant temperatures (16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 °C) in controlled environment chambers, and for 10 generations in the field. Oviposition occurred between 20 and 28 °C, with highest fecundity (114.5 ± 88.2) eggs per female at 20 ...

    • Evaluation of nutritional properties of cassava-legumes snacks for domestic consumption: consumer acceptance and willingness to pay in Zambia 

      Alamu, E.O.; Maziya-Dixon, B.; Olaniyan, B.; Ntawuruhunga, P.; Chikoye, D. (2020-08-25)
      High-quality cassava flour (HQCF) is a cheaper alternative to wheat in the production of snacks. This study assessed the nutritional properties and consumer acceptability of cassava-legume snacks in Zambia. Cassava snacks were made from 100% HQCF, 50:50 cassava-soybean flour blend, 50:50 cassava-cowpea flour blend and 100% wheat flour as the control. The samples were analyzed for nutritional, functional and anti-nutritional properties using standard laboratory methods. Also, a well-outlined ...

    • Boiled yam end-user preferences and implications for trait evaluation 

      Honfozo, L.; Adinsi, L.; Bouniol, A.; Adetonah, S.; Forsythe, L.; Kleih, U.; Hounhouigan, J.D.; Fliedel, G.; Akissoe, N.H. (2020-07-25)
      This study aimed to establish the quality characteristics of raw and boiled yam by involving stakeholders along the food chain using a methodology that includes a state of knowledge review, focus group discussion and individual interviews, participatory processing diagnosis with processors and consumer testing. Predictive characteristics of yam for producing a high‐ and low‐quality boiled yam were related to morphological or physicochemical characteristics: peeled yam discoloration and mucilage ...