Cassava is among the important food security crops in Sub Saharan Africa and a major staple food for more than 800 million people in the developing world. Cassava production in Africa which is more than half of the total world production is affected by viral diseases, one being Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) caused by two distinct species of Ipomoviruses namely; cassava brown streak virus and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus collectively called cassava brown streak ipomoviruses (CBSIs). ...

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of applying open-source technologies for mobile-based data collection for real-time tracking of seed yam (Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea alata) production. Seed yam data in Nigeria have been predominantly collected using field notebooks in the past, which were subsequently entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Access database for analysis and reposition. Relevant areas of weakness within the current data systems include time delay ...

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a heavy feeder crop that exploits large volume of soil for nutrients, hence the continuous cultivation of cassava result in nutrient depletion, unless adequate fertilizer input such as inorganic fertilizer is used. This necessitated testing the effect of eleven different fertilizer types: Control (no fertilizer), recommended rate of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), half recommended rate of N, P, K, NPK + Micro-nutrients, NP, NK, PK, half N + P, K, ...

Biochar, a product of biomass gasification is used to sequester carbon in soils for long periods of time and intensification of agricultural productivity. Crop residues are an important source of biomass for biochar production but availability in smallholder farming systems across Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is unknown due to the cost and labor involved in obtaining related empirical data. The study presented here was carried out in Pallisa district, Uganda and (1) mapped crop residue yields and ...

Inoculation of soybean (Glycine max) is an efficient and convenient way of introducing rhizobia to soil and subsequently the rhizosphere of the crop. However, its full potential in sub-Saharan Africa is yet to be realized due to effects of varying soil limiting conditions. Critical levels of nitrogen (N) below and above which response is not guaranteed are unknown. The objective of the study was to determine the critical range of N outside which response to inoculation is hindered. Below the lower ...

Cowpea is one of the most widely grown legumes in Togo for its grains and leaves, which are used both as food and feed. Despite its importance in the nutrition and economic life of the people, bulk of the varieties grown in Togo are landraces. Genetic improvement of crops requires the presence of heritable genetic variation. However, there is hardly any information on the extent of variability among cultivated cowpea in Togo. This study was carried out to assess the phenotypic and molecular diversity ...

Striga hermonthica (SH) is a parasitic weed that attacks and significantly reduces the yield of maize in Africa. The genetic interactions responsible for resistance or susceptibility of hosts to the parasite and the genetic differentiation that exists between and within SH populations are not fully known. This study investigated the genetic diversity of SH populations in the largest maize producers in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya and Nigeria) and; the genetic responses of a susceptible (5057) and a ...

Several techniques, such as chemical and bio-insecticides have been applied by farmers to control thrips (Megalurothrips sjostedti) damage on cowpea. Many factors, such as improper amount of insecticides to dilute in water, cost and unavailability of insecticides and equipment limit the effective control of these thrips. Incorporating thrips resistant genes into local adapted landraces could increase farmers‘ income. These new lines could be grown with minimal insecticide application. Participatory ...

Stictococcus vayssierei Richard, 1971 commonly known as the African root and tuber scale (ARTS), was first identified as an agricultural pest in the early 1980s. Following population outbreaks in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 1980s – early 1990s, the insect is currently reported as one of the major pests threatening root and tuber crop production in Central Africa. Outbreaks can merely be viewed as symptomatic of some breakdown of internal organization and extrinsic factors ...

Low maize yields and the impacts of climate change on maize production shows the need to improve yields in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus the objective of this study is to evaluate DT maize hybrids under heat and combined heat and drought stresses and to determine the relationship between grain yield and other agronomical trait. In this study two groups of hybrids were used. Eighteen top cross maize hybrids, one local check and a standard check laid-out in alpha lattice of 5x4 with two replicates, the ...