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Classical biological control for the protection of natural ecosystems
(2010-03-12)Of the 70 cases of classical biological control for the protection of nature found in our review, there were fewer projects against insect targets (21) than against invasive plants (49), in part, because many insect biological control projects were carried out against agricultural pests, while nearly all projects against plants targeted invasive plants in natural ecosystems. Of 21 insect projects, 81% (17) provided benefits to protection of biodiversity, while 48% (10) protected products harvested ... -
Nutrient use efficiency in banana-bean intercropping systems in the Upper Pangani catchment, Tanzania
(Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, 2021-06)Banana is an important food staple and cash crop to millions of people in the humid highlands of Tanzania. Yield ranges between 5.7 and 14 tons per hectare, only attaining 27 % of its potential yield, mainly caused by low soil fertility. The accessible amounts of cattle manure conventionally used to replenish nutrient and manage soil fertility in banana home gardens are insufficient to meet nutritional crop requirements. Other animal manure e.g., poultry, goat and swine could be used to close the ... -
Investigation of varietal resistance of some maize genotype against fall army (Spodoptera frugeperda)
(Lead City University, 2021)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 ... -
Report of the fifth external programme and management review of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, 2001-12) -
Male fertility and zygotic embryo germination in bananas
(Makerere University, 2022-04)Crop improvement through crossbreeding relies on the generation of new hybrids from seeds. Therefore, seed set and seed germination are key determining factors for a successful breeding program. In banana breeding, both seed set and seed germination are low, especially in triploid and tetraploid bananas. To improve germination, embryos are extracted from seeds and cultured in vitro. Seed set is determined by the quantity and viability of pollen for the male parents, or male fertility, and by the ... -
Report of the fourth external programme and management review of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, 1995-04) -
Importance of biological control for tropical Africa
(2010)Though studies in biological control belong to the best documented research in ecology the actual decision to release a beneficial organism is often influenced by diffuse fears of anything foreign. Yet, agriculture is largely based on exotics; others remain inconspicuous and integrate themselves without problems into the existing ecosystems; and only few actually cause damage. It is against this latter group that the introduction of adapted predators from the region of origin, so-called classical ... -
Cassava mealybug has reached Asia
(2010) -
Factors influencing the decision of cassava farmers to sell or process roots in selected states of southwest, Nigeria
(2022-05)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 ... -
Occurrence, abundance and distribution of nematodes of banana linked to altitude in selected banana production areas with focus on pathogenicity of Pratylenchus goodeyi in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2022-06)Banana (Musa spp.) is a popular fruit crop in Kenya, where it is largely cultivated by smallholder farmers. However, plant pathogens, such as plant parasitic nematodes, have been blamed for the fall in output (PPN). A survey of bananabased subsistence farming systems in Kenya's banana-growing counties was done with the objective to a) assess farmers' awareness regarding PPN, b) explore the variability regarding PPN species associated with banana genotypes in Kenya and if the prevalence and abundance ... -
Soybean value chain analysis in Ethiopia: a qualitative study research
(Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research, 2022-03) -
Biological control of the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hom., Pseudococcidae) by Epidinocarsis lopezi (De Santis) (Hym., Encyrtidae) in West Africa, as influenced by climate and soil
(1990)Population data concerning the cassava mealybug (CM) Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero, the introduced parasitoid Epidinocarsis lopezi (De Santis), and indigenous antagonists were collected, together with ecological and plant growth variables, during a survey of 414 fields covering all ecological zones of Nigeria and Benin, for evaluation in multiple regression analyses. The choice of fields was unbiased, and insect populations were estimated from large random samples. Seven years after the first ... -
Commercially sustainable cassava seed systems in Africa
(Springer, 2022)Cassava is an important crop in sub-Saharan Africa for food security, income generation, and industrial development. Business-oriented production systems require reliable supplies of high-quality seed. Major initiatives in Nigeria and Tanzania have sought to establish sustainable cassava seed systems. These include the deployment of new technologies for early generation seed (EGS) production; the promotion of new high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties; the updating of government seed policy ... -
Potential use of denitrifying bacteria in reduction of nitrogenous compounds in the effluent discharged into lake Victoria, Kenya
(University of Embu, 2022-04)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 ... -
Impact assessment of the biological control of the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), by the introduced parasitoid Epidinocarsis lopezi (De Santis)(Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)
(1989)The impact of Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero on growth and tuber yield of cassava, and the results of its biological control by the exotic parasitoid Epidinocarsis lopezi (De Santis) were investigated in a survey of 60 farmers' fields in Ghana and Ivory Coast over an area of 180 000 km2 of the savana and forest ecosystems. Twenty-nine variables associated with plant growth, agronomic and environmental factors, and insect populations were recorded. Densities of P. manihoti were closely correlated ... -
Redefining agricultural education through vocational training: Start Them Early Program in Kenya
(International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, 2022-04) -
Scaling readiness: learnings from applying a novel approach to support scaling of food system innovations
(Springer, 2022)Scaling of innovations is a key requirement for addressing societal challenges in sectors such as agriculture, but research for development programs struggles to make innovations go to scale. There is a gap between new complexity-aware scientific theories and perspectives on innovation and practical approaches that can improve strategic and operational decision-making in research for development interventions that aim to scale innovations. To bridge this gap, Scaling Readiness was developed. Scaling ...