Journal and Journal Articles: Recent submissions

Now showing items 141-160 of 5157

    • Unravelling the diversity in water usage among wild banana species in response to vapour pressure deficit 

      Eyland, D.; Gambart, C.; Swennen, R.; Carpentier, S.C. (2023-08-21)
      The rise in global temperature is not only affecting plant functioning directly, but is also increasing air vapour pressure deficit (VPD). The yield of banana is heavily affected by water deficit but so far breeding programs have never addressed the issue of water deficit caused by high VPD. A reduction in transpiration at high VPD has been suggested as a key drought tolerance breeding trait to avoid excessive water loss, hydraulic failure and to increase water use efficiency. In this study, ...

    • Assessing the suitability of stress tolerant early-maturing maize (Zea mays) inbred lines for hybrid development using combining ability effects and DArTseq markers 

      Adewale, S.A.; Badu-Apraku, B.; Akinwale, R.O. (2023-04)
      Identification of hybrids for commercialization is crucial for sustainable maize production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). One hundred and ninety test crosses, 10 tester × tester crosses + 10 hybrid checks were evaluated across 11 environments, 2017 to 2019. Inheritance of grain yield under Striga infestation, optimal and across environments was influenced by additive genetic action, but there was greater influence of nonadditive gene action under drought stress conditions. Nine, seven and two inbreds ...

    • The progression in developing genomic resources for crop improvement 

      Ruperao, P.; Rangan, P.; Shah, T.; Thakur, V.; Kalia, S.; Mayes, S.; Rathore, A. (2023-07-31)
      Sequencing technologies have rapidly evolved over the past two decades, and new technologies are being continually developed and commercialized. The emerging sequencing technologies target generating more data with fewer inputs and at lower costs. This has also translated to an increase in the number and type of corresponding applications in genomics besides enhanced computational capacities (both hardware and software). Alongside the evolving DNA sequencing landscape, bioinformatics research teams ...

    • Combined effects of shade and drought on physiology, growth, and yield of mature cocoa trees 

      Mensah, E.O.; Raebild, A.; Asare, R.; Amoatey, C.; Markussen, B.O.; Owusu, K.; Asitoakor, B.K.; Vaast, P. (2023-11)
      Climate models predict decreasing precipitation and increasing air temperature, causing concern for the future of cocoa in the major producing regions worldwide. It has been suggested that shade could alleviate stress by reducing radiation intensity and conserving soil moisture, but few on-farm cocoa studies are testing this hypothesis. Here, for 33 months, we subjected twelve-year cocoa plants in Ghana to three levels of rainwater suppression (full rainwater, 1/3 rainwater suppression and 2/3 ...

    • Symbiotic effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium strains on soybean growth and productivity in Northern Mozambique 

      Boahen, S.; Engoke, C.; Muananamuale, C.; Malita, C.; Wiredu, A.; Chibeba, A.M.; Elia, P.; Chikoye, D. (2023-01-18)
      Inoculation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] with rhizobia strains is a low-cost investment which can increase yields of smallholder farmers in Mozambique. The performance of four Bradyrhizobium strains was evaluated to identify the best strain to inoculate soybean grown in different agro-ecologies. Field experiments were conducted in three ecological zones in 2018 and 2019 using soybean variety Zamboane inoculated with Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens strain USDA 110, B. japonicum strains USDA ...

    • Performance and stability of improved cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) clones in demand creation trials in Nigeria 

      Ogwuche, T.O.; Diebiru-Ojo, E.M.; Adetoro, N.A.; Ossai, C.; Ekanem, U.O.; Adegbite, B.; Oyebode, G.; Kulakow, P. (2023-08-02)
      Cassava fresh root yield and dry matter content constitute major determinants of demand by end-users. Increased demand for the seeds of improved varieties will facilitate the development of a sustainable seed system. However, for wide acceptability, there is a need to continuously evaluate candidate varieties for stability across different agroecological zones. Participatory Demand Creation Trials (DCTs) were established to evaluate cassava varieties with farmers and processors utilizing the best ...

    • Willingness to pay for agricultural mechanization services by smallholder farmers in Malawi 

      Hirpa Tufa, A.; Alene, A.; Ngoma, H.; Marenya, P.; Manda, J.; Matin, M.A.; Thierfelder, C.; Chikoye, D. (2023-08-17)
      One of the main barriers to adopting smallholder agricultural mechanization in developing countries is the mismatch between the economies of scale of machines and farm size. Private sector-led mechanization services hold a promise to address this challenge, but there is a lack of evidence on demand for smallholder mechanization services. This study estimates the farmers' willingness to pay for mechanization services using the double-bounded contingent valuation method and data from 1512 households. ...

    • EpiCass and CassavaNet4Dev advanced bioinformatics workshop 

      Gisel, A.; Stavolone, L.; Olagunju, T.; Landi, M.; van Damme, R.; Niazi, A.; Falquet, L.; Shah, T.; Bongcam-Rudloff, E. (2023-06-08)
      EpiCass and CassavaNet4Dev are collaborative projects funded by the Swedish Research Council between the Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The projects aim to investigate the influence of epigenetic changes on agricultural traits such as yield and virus resistance while also providing African students and researchers with advanced bioinformatics training and opportunities to participate in big data analysis events. The first ...

    • Evaluation of wheat genotypes for heat stress tolerance and identification of early stress indicators 

      Chileshe, P.; Chikuta, S.; Lungu, D.; Kamfwa, K.; Omondi, J.O. (2023-06-30)
      Heat stress is an abiotic factor that reduces wheat yields. This study assessed the morphological and physiological traits essential for early detection of heat tolerance in wheat and identified suitable genotypes for specific agro-ecologies prone to heat stress in Zambia. Twelve wheat genotypes were evaluated in a heat-stress environment (Chakanka) and a non-stress heat environment (UNZA). Early heat stress indicators like leaf thickness and chlorophyll content had a 92% and 90% relationship with ...

    • Collection and characterization of cassava germplasm in Comoros 

      Ferguson, M.; Ntawuruhunga, P.; Fouad, M.O.; Hassane, O.K.M.; Charmila, M.A.; Hamza, A.A.; Mohamed, N.A.; Dieng, I.; Njukwe, E.; Shah, T. (2023-06-15)
      In Comoros, cassava plays a major food security role, however yields are low as few modern cultivars are grown. Prior to the introduction of new cultivars, and as a germplasm resource for breeders, germplasm collection missions were undertaken in the three largest islands; Ngazidja, Ndzouani and Mwali; and associated farmer knowledge documented. Cassava landraces were collected from 34 farms, and 17 key informant interviews conducted. Stakes of 79 collected landraces were planted for agro-morphological ...

    • Socioeconomic effects of Oyo state government COVID-19 palliatives on tomato smallholder farmers 

      Ayedun, B.; Akande, A (2023-07)
      This study interviewed 197 farmers that benefitted from the government palliative in the form of tomato farm inputs to help farmers contain the negative effects of COVID-19 of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty. Demographic features show that the average family size was 6, average age of the beneficiaries was 43, gender of the household heads shows that the beneficiaries have 67% males and 33% females. Production features show that 28% of the tomato farmers intercropped their tomato with other ...

    • Developing and deploying an efficient genotyping workflow for accelerating maize improvement in developing countries 

      Offornedo, Q.N.; Menkir, A.; Babalola, D.; Gedil, M. (2022-08-03)
      Background: Molecular breeding is an essential tool for accelerating genetic gain in crop improvement towards meeting the need to feed an ever-growing world population. Establishing low-cost, flexible genotyping platforms in small, public and regional laboratories can stimulate the application of molecular breeding in developing countries. These laboratories can serve plant breeding projects requiring low- to medium-density markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and quality control (QC) ...

    • Reactions of provitamin-A-enriched maize to foliar diseases under field conditions in Nigeria 

      Iseghohi, I.; Abe, A.; Meseka, S.K.; Mengesha Abera, W.; Gedil, M.; Job, A.; Menkir, A. (2023-07-17)
      Maize is a major staple food in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Vitamin A deficiency index is high in Africa and could be reduced through the consumption of provitamin-A-enriched maize. However, foliar diseases such as maize streak virus, northern corn leaf blight and common rust constrain maize production in SSA. The cultivation of host-resistant varieties is the most effective approach to mitigate their effects. Therefore, maize synthetics improved for PVA carotenoids, their selection cycles and crosses ...

    • Variation in protein content, starch components, selected minerals and their bioavailability in bambara groundnut accessions 

      Siwale, J.; Labuschagne, M.; Gerrano, A.S.; Agre, A.P.; Ntombokulunga, N.W. (2023-01)
      Introduction Bambara groundnut is a highly nutrient dense underutilized orphan crop, and has the potential to address malnutrition and food security. The study objectives were to estimate the variation in the concentration of protein, starch, amylose, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), phytic acid (PA) and mineral bioavailability, to identify superior bambara accessions and to determine the interrelationship between measured traits. Materials and methods: Grain samples were collected from 59 accessions that ...

    • Food quality profile of pounded yam and implications for yam breeding 

      Otegbayo, B.; Oluyinka, O.; Tanimola, A.; Fawehinmi, B.; Alamu, A.; Bolaji, T.; Madu, T.; Okoye, B.; Chijioke, U.; Ofoeze, M.; Alamu, E.O.; Adesokan, M.; Ayetigbo, O.; Bouniol, A.; DJibril-Mousa, I.; Adinsi, L.; Akissoe, N.H.; Cornet, D.; Agre, A.P.; Amele, A.; Obidiegwu, J.; Maziya-Dixon, B. (2023-07-13)
      BACKGROUND Assessment of the key preferred quality traits in pounded yam, a popularly consumed yam food product in West Africa, is often done through sensory evaluation. Such assessment is time-consuming and results may be biased. Therefore, there is a need to develop objective, high-throughput methods to predict the quality of consumer-preferred traits in pounded yam. This study focused on how key quality traits in pounded yam proposed to yam breeders were determined, measured by biophysical and ...

    • The BananaTainer: a high throughput phenotyping installation to explore Musa's growth potential in the east African highlands 

      Gambart, C.; Van Wesemael, J.; Swennen, R.; Carpentier, S.C. (2023)
      The East African highlands, a densely populated area in the African Great Lakes region, are located at high altitudes (900-2000 m a.s.l.) and characterized by relatively low average temperatures (17-25°C). Banana (Musa spp.) is an important component of its production landscape, contributing in Uganda to up to 80% of the caloric intake. However, above 1500 m a.s.l. the relatively low ambient temperatures slow down the production and the on-farm diversity decreases. Although enhanced on-farm diversity ...

    • Measuring women's empowerment in agriculture: innovations and evidence 

      Quisumbing, A.; Cole, S.M.; Elias, M.; Faas, S.; Galie, A.; Malapit, H.; Meinzen-Dick, R.; Myers, E.; Seymour, G.; Twyman, J. (2023-09)
      This paper addresses women's empowerment in agriculture, innovations in its measurement, and emerging evidence. We discuss the evolution of the conceptualization and measurement of women's empowerment and gender equality since 2010. Using a gender and food systems framework and a standardized measure of women's empowerment, the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), we review the evidence on “what works” to empower women based on impact evaluations of a portfolio of 11 agricultural ...

    • Association mapping in multiple yam species (Dioscorea spp.) of quantitative trait loci for yield-related traits 

      Adejumobi, I.I.; Agre, A.P.; Adewumi, A.S.; Shonde, T.E.; Cipriano, I.M.; Komoy, J.; Adheka, J.G.; Onautshu, O.D. (2023-07-11)
      Background Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is multiple species with various ploidy levels and is considered as a cash crop in many producing areas. Phenotypic selection in yam improvement is a lengthy procedure. However, marker-assisted selection has proven to reduce the breeding cycle with enhanced selection efficiency. Methodology In this study, a panel of 182 yam accessions distributed across six yam species were assessed for diversity and marker-traits association study using SNP markers generated from ...

    • Highly informative SNP marker panels in yam (Dioscorea rotundata) for genomic selection and prediction 

      Agre, A.P.; Asfaw, A. (2023)

    • Characterization of Hoplolaimus seinhorsti and Hoplolaimus pararobustus (Tylenchina: Hoplolaimidae) from banana, with phylogeny and species delineation in the genus Hoplolaimus 

      Olajide, E.; Singh, P.R.; Kolombia, Y.A.; Rumbarar, M.K.; Couvreur, M.; Bert, W. (2023-05-23)
      The morphological and molecular characterisations of two lance nematode species isolated from the rhizosphere of banana, Hoplolaimus seinhorsti and H. pararobustus, are provided based on an integrative study that includes light and scanning electron microscopy, phylogenetic analysis and two tree-based molecular species delimitation methods (GMYC and bPTP). Nineteen new sequences were obtained, including 5 partial 18S rRNA, 6 D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, 1 ITS rRNA and 7 COI mtDNA (the first COI sequences ...