The goal of yam bean improvement in Africa is to develop superior high yielding and high dry matter cultivars that are preferred for adoption. In this study, the estimates of variance components, heritability and response to selection were studied in F3 yam bean families selected from interspecies crosses targeting improvement of storage root dry matter and associated traits. Breeding populations were generated using North Carolina II (NC II) mating design involving high dry matter P. tuberosus ...

The utilization of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens L. for recycling organic waste into high-quality protein and fat biomass for animal feeds has gained momentum worldwide. However, information on the genetic diversity and environmental implications on safety of the larvae is limited. This study delineates genetic variability and unravels gut microbiome complex of wild-collected and domesticated BSF populations from six continents using mitochondrial COI gene and 16S metagenomics. All ...

Understanding drought tolerance mechanisms of cassava is a pre-requisite to improve the performance of the crop in water-scarce regions. Several hypotheses have been formulated to suggest how cassava can withstand a prolonged period of drought. We performed field trials under drought conditions with a selection of 37 cassava genotypes to identify phenotypic and molecular patterns associated with drought tolerance. Plant morphologies varied significantly between cassava genotypes under drought ...

Background While advances in agricultural research and development have led to generation of improved new cooking hybrid banana varieties (HBVs) with enhanced yield potential to restore production levels, these have been received with mixed feelings on production and consumption attributes among the farming communities in Uganda. Some farmers prefer HBVs that are comparable to their local varieties in terms of consumption attributes such as soft food, color when cooked, flavor and taste while ...

Background and Aims Inferring the diffusion history of many human-dispersed species is still not straightforward due to unresolved past human migrations. The centre of diversification and routes of migration of the autopolyploid and clonally propagated greater yam, Dioscorea alata, one of the oldest edible tubers, remain unclear. Here, we address yam demographic and dispersal history using a worldwide sample. Methods We characterized genome-wide patterns of genetic variation using genotyping by ...

In 2015, mechanized technologies for planting and harvesting cassava were introduced to farmers involved in the Cassava Value Chain (CVC) in Ogun State of Nigeria for testing. This study comparatively analysed the profitability of cassava production under mechanized and manual operations. Partial budgeting was used to compare costs and benefits of the new innovations with manual process. The comparison was based on data obtained from farmers involved in an effort to enhance the competitiveness of ...

Manual method predominates in the cassava peeling industry in Nigeria as more than 70% of the processed cassava in the market passed through manual process. Mechanical option has come to the forefront since other processing methods are discouraged based on their deficiencies. This work investigates improvements recorded with mechanical method over the manual method, and the inherent challenges of stakeholders in the industry. Three cassava peeling machines namely, BASICON, FATAROY and WAMABCO, ...

Cassava plays a key role in ensuring food security and generating income for smallholder farmers throughout Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This status is threatened, however, by cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), which has expanded its incidence and range in eastern DRC. The study described here comprises the first extensive assessment of temporal change in the occurrence of CBSD and its causal viruses in DRC, based on surveys conducted during 2016 and ...

Although cassava is usually grown for its starchy roots, cassava leaves are an important vegetable and protein source in sub-Saharan countries. Eleven cassava mosaic disease (CMD) tolerant and two susceptible varieties were planted in six trials; leaves were harvested at 4, 8 and 11 months after planting (MAP) and storage roots were harvested at 12 MAP. Edible leaf and storage root dry matter yields were strongly affected by variety and interacted with location. Edible leaf yields ranged from 209 ...

Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (Poaceae) is a cereal crop grown worldwide and playing an important role in human nutrition as well as feed for livestock. Lepidopteran stem borers are the most economically important insect pests that affect sorghum production and their management relies on the use of insecticide chemicals that have adverse effects on humans and biodiversity. The objective of this study was to investigate the endophytytic and pathogenic properties of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin ...