Banana is an important staple food in East Africa and an essential cash crop in the national and local economies. In Kagera and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania, banana is cultivated by more than 70% of smallholder farmers as a staple food in home gardens ranging from 0.5 to 2 hectares. Decline in banana yield has been reported in banana farming systems as a result of abiotic constraints (nutrient deficiencies and drought stress) and biotic constraints (pests and diseases). Decline in soil fertility ...

Soil carbon (C) contents and dynamics are important in the maintenance of health soils. Organic amendments (e.g. crop residue and organic manure) are known as materials to increase soil C. The degradation of organic amendments and physical disturbance of soils, performed by the fauna, can alter soil microbial community, and thus influence rates of the C cycles. However, little is known about the interaction between different soil biological communities (i.e. soil fauna and microbes) regarding soil ...

Watermelon is increasingly produced and consumed in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, limited information exists regarding the nematode fauna associated with the crop. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to determine the nematode assemblages associated with watermelon, to investigate the reproduction potential of populations of the predominant plant-parasitic nematodes identified and to assess the host status of commercially available cultivars in south-west Nigeria to the ...

Bananas (Musa spp.) are one of the most important crops in the global food crop industry, the second most important fruit crop and an important staple crop around the world. Due to the increased trend in global population, a raise in the intensity in crop productivity is needed. The use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) could be an alternative to improve the stress-tolerance and productivity of crops, thus, reducing the amount of chemical pesticides and fertilizers needed. Trichoderma ...

The use of land for agricultural production is always accompanied with changes in microbial diversity and emergency of new pathogens. Microbial imbalances and unevenness have enhanced multiplication of pathogens and proliferation of many soil borne diseases, which are tedious to control. Biocontrols are promising and environmentally friendly agents against such diseases. However, microbiome composition and land use management have been mentioned as core factors in effectiveness of biocontrols. ...

The fall armyworm (FAW) has recently invaded and established itself as a major maize pest in Africa, causing yield losses of up to a third of annual maize production. The current study assessed several elements of resistance to FAW larvae feeding of 48 maize hybrids developed by IITA scientists in the laboratory, screen house, and field. The arrest and feeding of FAW neonate larvae in no-choice and choice trials, the growth of larvae-pupae in laboratory circumstances, and plant damage in a field ...

Cassava farmers are faced with the decision to either sell or process the roots of the crop. However, the factors affecting this decision are largely unknown. Three hundred and six cassava farmers were interviewed, with the objectives to (i) profile the socio-economic characteristics of farmers (ii) examine the price trend between January, 2019 to August, 2020, (iii) costs and returns of the farmers who sell roots and cassava products, (iv)profile the risks and mitigating strategies used by farmers ...

Nutrient loading with nitrogen and phosphorus in receiving waters is an increasing concern worldwide. In Lake Victoria basin, the substantial inflow of nutrients has led to intensive eutrophication of the lake. This has negatively affected not only the economic but also aesthetic as well as ecological functions. Nitrogen cycle in the atmosphere is driven by symbiotic and free-living microorganisms, which reduces dinitrogen gas to bioavailable ammonia. Ammonia is oxidized completely by a two-step ...

Cassava is an important cash crop for many small scale farmers in Burundi. Most small scale farmers use local landraces and though they have farmer preferred traits, their genetic diversity is unknown and marred by phenotypic susceptibility to Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). This limits future breeding programs to improve cassava production and resistance to diseases in Burundi. Due to this, disease tolerant genotypes from other countries were introduced to ...

La mouche soldat noire (MSN), Hermetia illucens est un insecte à métamorphose complète qui durant son stade larvaire s’alimente avec voracité sur divers types de substrats organiques tout en convertissant les composés azotés et les hydrates de carbones en biomasses larvaires hautement riches en protéines et en lipides alimentaires. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’élucider les processus biologiques clés qui ont lieux durant son cycle de développement et leurs applicabilités dans le recyclage des ...