scholarly journals Farmers’ knowledge and perception of finger millet blast disease and its control practices in western Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilton Mbinda ◽  
Agnes Kavoo ◽  
Fredah Maina ◽  
Margaret Odeph ◽  
Cecilia Mweu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finger Millet ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Disease Occurrence

Abstract Background Finger millet blast disease, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, is a serious constrain of finger millet production which is threatening global food security especially to the resource poor smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid regions. The disease adversely affects finger millet production and consumption due to its wide distribution and destruction in all finger millet growing areas of southern Asia and eastern Africa. Here, we present a study that investigated the occurrence, impact, risk factors and farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of finger millet blast in Kenya. Methods We surveyed blast disease occurrence and interviewed farmers in Bungoma and Kisii Counties of Kenya during March–April 2019. Data were analysed using SPSS statistical program. Descriptive analysis was done by calculating means, percentages, frequencies, and standard errors. Comparative statistics, chi-square and t-tests, were used to evaluate differences existing among the farm characteristics and socio-demographics and the knowledge and perceptions of blast disease and its management practices. Results Our results show that blast disease is prevalent in all surveyed areas and adversely affects the productivity of the crop leading to poor yields. The disease occurrence varied from 92 to 98%, and was significantly higher in the major finger millet growing areas compared to the minor ones. Blast occurrence was associated with rainfall, altitude, planting density, intercropping and other farming practices. In all the surveyed regions, farmers had little knowledge about blast disease identification, its detection and spread. Further, the farmers’ awareness of blast disease control was inconsistent with established practices. Conclusions Our results show mitigation of finger millet blast disease should aim at improving farmers’ adoption of best practices through development of acceptable blast-resistant finger millet varieties, use of sustainable disease management practices, fostering linkages and creating new partnerships in the production-supply chain and maintaining a functional seed system. Findings from this study provide essential insights for effective decision making and management of the disease. This is fundamental to sustainable and secure food and income for finger millet growing farmers in Kenya.

scholarly journals Smallholder Farmers’ Knowledge, Perception and Management of Rice Blast Disease in Upland Rice Production in Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Hashim ◽  
Delphina P. Mamiro ◽  
Robert B. Mabagala ◽  
Tadele Tefera
Keyword(s):  
Rice Blast ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Upland Rice ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Rice Production ◽  
Rice Blast Disease ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Rice Varieties

The objective of this paper was to investigate farmers’ knowledge and management of rice blast disease in Tanzania. Farmers’ household survey was conducted in five districts namely Mvomero, Morogoro rural, Ulanga, Korogwe and Muheza in April and May 2017. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured questionnaire and observations made through transect walks across selected villages. Farmers observed symptoms of rice blast disease for the first time in the past 3 to 10 years, with higher severity of blast disease in April to May each year. About 46.3% of the respondents were not aware of the cause and spread of rice blast disease. About 39.9% of the respondents associated rice blast disease with drought, high rainfall and temperature (8.7%) and soil fertility problems (5.1%). About 18.7% of the farmers reported burning of crop residues, 17.0% use of ash, 4.0% use of nitrogen fertilizer and 6.3% application of fungicide for management of rice blast disease. The majority (54.0%) of farmers did not apply any management method. Most farmers planted local upland rice varieties, with only 7.7% using improved varieties. About 69.6% of the respondents shared information on disease management among themselves. Lack of knowledge, ability to afford and unavailability of effective blast disease control methods were reported to affect the management of the disease. Strengthening the capacity of farmers to identify the disease and proper management practices will sustainably solve the problem of rice blast disease in upland rice production.

scholarly journals Identification of Blast Resistant Genotypes among Drought Tolerant Finger Millet in Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70
Author(s):  
John Charles Aru ◽  
Nelson Wanyera ◽  
Patrick Okori ◽  
Paul Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Finger Millet ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Blast Resistance ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Drought Tolerant

Finger millet is an important food security crop among many subsistence farmers living in marginal and especially semi-arid regions of Eastern Africa. However, crop production is affected mainly by terminal drought and blast disease caused by fungus Pyricularia grisea. Both collectively lead to over 90% grain yield loss depending on environmental conditions, cropping systems and varietal differences. Therefore, resistance breakdown remains high owing to variability in the blast pathogen and weather conditions. Stable varieties should possess both blast resistance and drought. In order to initiate breeding for multiple resistance to blast on drought-tolerant background, a study was conducted to identify variability for blast resistance from adapted germplasm as an initial step in developing a breeding strategy for incorporating resistance. Thirty genotypes from drought-prone agro-ecologies and including mini core germplasm from NARO-NaSARRI national Finger Millet improvement programme were assessed. They were screened using a local virulent pathogen isolate (NGR1) from Ngora, representing Teso major farming system and is a hot spot for the blast. The screening was under controlled conditions from in Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute (MUARIK) in 2012b. The results showed significance (p<0.01) for Area Under Disease Progressive Curve (AUDPC). Subsequently, the study identified IE927, Seremi1, Seremi3, Sec220 and Kabale as highly resistant to foliar blast infection comparable to Gulu-E a standard broad-spectrum resistant check and they could be used to improve finger millet for blast resistance. Meanwhile DR33, IE9 and IE2576 as most susceptible compared to non-race -specific susceptible check E11 from Uganda.

scholarly journals Exploiting Genetic Diversity for Blast Disease Resistance Sources in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana)

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-186
Author(s):  
Eric O. Manyasa ◽  
Pangirayi Tongoona ◽  
Paul Shanahan ◽  
Stephen Githiri ◽  
Henry Ojulong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Magnaporthe Grisea ◽  
Finger Millet ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Blast Resistance ◽  
Resistance Breeding ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Grain Color

Finger millet blast, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, is the most important disease of finger millet in East Africa. Diseased plants are significantly less productive, and most cultivars grown by farmers are susceptible to the disease. Fungicide application is an option for disease management; however, smallholder farmers cannot afford the cost. Host plant resistance is therefore the most viable option for managing the disease. Eighty-one finger millet germplasm accessions from East Africa were evaluated for resistance to blast disease, in natural and inoculated trials. Three accessions (G18, G43, and G67) were identified as resistant to all the three progressive stages of blast: leaf, neck, and panicle. However, one (G3) and four (G15, G16, G60, and G70) accessions were only resistant to leaf and neck blast, respectively. Two resistant (G39 and G43) and 12 moderately resistant (G3, G7, G11, G20, G23, G27, G31, G33, G36, G66, G74, and G81) accessions to blast attained grain yields >2.0 t/ha. These accessions varied in time to maturity, plant height, and grain color, which will enable farmers to select accessions appropriate to their target agro-ecological zones and desired end uses. East African finger millet germplasm has high potential as a source of blast-resistant accessions that could be evaluated for direct production and/or for blast-resistance breeding.

scholarly journals Breeding Strategies and Challenges in the Improvement of Blast Disease Resistance in Finger Millet. A Current Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilton Mbinda ◽  
Hosea Masaki
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Finger Millet ◽  
Blast Resistance ◽  
Durable Resistance ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Breeding Strategies ◽  
Wide Range

Climate change has significantly altered the biodiversity of crop pests and pathogens, posing a major challenge to sustainable crop production. At the same time, with the increasing global population, there is growing pressure on plant breeders to secure the projected food demand by improving the prevailing yield of major food crops. Finger millet is an important cereal crop in southern Asia and eastern Africa, with excellent nutraceutical properties, long storage period, and a unique ability to grow under arid and semi-arid environmental conditions. Finger millet blast disease caused by the filamentous ascomycetous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the most devastating disease affecting the growth and yield of this crop in all its growing regions. The frequent breakdown of blast resistance because of the susceptibility to rapidly evolving virulent genes of the pathogen causes yield instability in all finger millet-growing areas. The deployment of novel and efficient strategies that provide dynamic and durable resistance against many biotypes of the pathogen and across a wide range of agro-ecological zones guarantees future sustainable production of finger millet. Here, we analyze the breeding strategies currently being used for improving resistance to disease and discuss potential future directions toward the development of new blast-resistant finger millet varieties, providing a comprehensive understanding of promising concepts for finger millet breeding. The review also includes empirical examples of how advanced molecular tools have been used in breeding durably blast-resistant cultivars. The techniques highlighted are cost-effective high-throughput methods that strongly reduce the generation cycle and accelerate both breeding and research programs, providing an alternative to conventional breeding methods for rapid introgression of disease resistance genes into favorable, susceptible cultivars. New information and knowledge gathered here will undoubtedly offer new insights into sustainable finger millet disease control and efficient optimization of the crop’s productivity.

Clinical, epidemiological and climatic factors related to the occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area in northeastern Brazil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Oliveira ◽  
K. B. A. Pimentel ◽  
M. L. Moura ◽  
C. F. Aragão ◽  
A. S. Guimarães-e-Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Air Humidity ◽  
Disease Occurrence ◽  
Relative Air Humidity ◽  
Age Range ◽  
And Control

Abstract Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease with a wide distribution in the Americas. Brazil is an endemic country and present cases in all states. This study aimed to describe the occurrence, the underlying clinical and epidemiological factors, and the correlation of climatic variables with the frequency of reported CL cases in the municipality of Caxias, state of Maranhão, Brazil. This is a retrospective and descriptive epidemiological study based on data extracted from the Brazilian Information System of Diseases Notification, from 2007 to 2017. Maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, and relative air humidity data were provided by the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. A total of 201 reported autochthonous CL cases were analyzed. The predominance of cases was observed in males (70.1%). The age range between 31 and 60 years old was the most affected, with 96 cases (47.9%). Of the total number of registered cases, 38.8% of the affected individuals were engaged in agriculture-related activities. The georeferenced distribution revealed the heterogeneity of disease occurrence, with cases concentrated in the Western and Southern regions of the municipality. An association was detected between relative air humidity (monthly mean) and the number of CL cases per month (p = 0.04). CL continues to be a concerning public health issue in Caxias. In this context, there is a pressing need to strengthen measures of prevention and control of the disease through the network of health services of the municipality, considering local and regional particularities.

scholarly journals Precision Agriculture for Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1158
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. Onyango ◽  
Justine M. Nyaga ◽  
Johanna Wetterlind ◽  
Mats Söderström ◽  
Kristin Piikki
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Sub Saharan

Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were reviewed. The results indicate that a number of precision agriculture technologies have been tested under SSA conditions and show promising results. The most promising precision agriculture technologies identified were the use of soil and plant sensors for nutrient and water management, as well as use of satellite imagery, GIS and crop-soil simulation models for site-specific management. These technologies have been shown to be crucial in attainment of appropriate management strategies in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource use in SSA. These technologies are important in supporting sustainable agricultural development. Most of these technologies are, however, at the experimental stage, with only South Africa having applied them mainly in large-scale commercial farms. It is concluded that increased precision in input and management practices among SSA smallholder farmers can significantly improve productivity even without extra use of inputs.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices for Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Challenge for Business Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2956
Author(s):  
Tomas Cherkos Kassaneh ◽  
Ettore Bolisani ◽  
Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Critical Resource ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
Future Business

In the last decades, business competition has been increasingly among supply chains (SCs) rather than individual firms. Today, considering the challenges of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, it is becoming even more vital to coordinate and co-manage company resources, activities, and innovative efforts at the SC level. Consequently, knowledge, which is a critical resource for companies, needs to be managed properly not only in single firms but also across SCs. For the education of business managers, this implies a double challenge: first, to make students and future executives become aware of the knowledge management (KM) practices that can be adopted; second, to facilitate the assimilation of these practices for the effective management of SCs, to ensure higher economic and environmentally sustainable performances. Standard definitions and classifications can be of great help, but the current studies are very fragmented. This study contributes by exploring the literature and examining the KM practices that are proposed and defined by the different authors. A systematic review and a descriptive analysis of selected papers showed the trend and focus of papers in the KM and SC fields. In addition, based on the definitions and classifications drawn from the literature, this paper discusses a possible systematization of the key KM practices in SCs. The major contribution of this paper is the effort of re-definition and re-classification of KM practices and their potential importance for effective and sustainable SC management. This analysis can be especially useful for organizing KM courses targeted to current and future business managers.

scholarly journals Responses of Branch Number and Yield Component of Soybean Cultivars Tested in Different Planting Densities

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Cailong Xu ◽  
Ruidong Li ◽  
Wenwen Song ◽  
Tingting Wu ◽  
Shi Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Key Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Yield Component ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Branch Number ◽  
Soybean Yield ◽  
Soybean Cultivars ◽  
Pod Number

Increasing planting density is one of the key management practices to enhance soybean yield. A 2-yr field experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 including six planting densities and two soybean cultivars to determine the effects of planting density on branch number and yield, and analyze the contribution of branches to yield. The yield of ZZXA12938 was 4389 kg ha−1, which was significantly higher than that of ZH13 (+22.4%). In combination with planting year and cultivar, the soybean yield increased significantly by 16.2%, 31.4%, 41.4%, and 46.7% for every increase in density of 45,000 plants ha−1. Yield will not increase when planting density exceeds 315,000 plants ha−1. A correlation analysis showed that pod number per plant increased with the increased branch number, while pod number per unit area decreased; thus, soybean yield decreased. With the increase of branch number, the branch contribution to yield increased first, and then plateaued. ZH13 could produce a high yield under a lower planting density due to more branches, while ZZXA12938 had a higher yield potential under a higher planting density due to the smaller branch number and higher tolerance to close planting. Therefore, seed yield can be increased by selecting cultivars with a little branching capacity under moderately close planting.

scholarly journals Agro-Economic Evaluation of Alternative Crop Management Options for Teff Production in Midland Agro-Ecology, Ethiopia

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Fekremariam Asargew Mihretie ◽  
Atsushi Tsunekawa ◽  
Nigussie Haregeweyn ◽  
Enyew Adgo ◽  
Mitsuru Tsubo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Agronomic Performance ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Weed Population

Teff is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Improved crop management practices are needed to increase teff productivity and decrease production costs. Here, we used a split–split plot design to evaluate the impacts of different tillage, sowing, and soil compaction practices, and their combinations, on agronomic performance, weed population, lodging, and cost in teff production at the Aba Gerima watershed in northwestern Ethiopia in 2018–2020. Reduced tillage (RT) improved soil moisture, resulting in increased agronomic performance and decreased production costs compared with conventional tillage (CT); however, the weed population was substantially larger with RT than with CT. Row planting (RP) reduced seed cost and lodging but increased sowing and weeding costs compared with broadcast planting (BP). Plant population and leaf area index were substantially greater with BP than with RP during early-stage growth, but this reversed during late-stage growth. Despite labor costs being significantly greater with (WC) compaction than without (NC), little to no differences were observed in the weed population or in agronomic performance. Partial cost–benefit analysis revealed that RT–RP–WC followed by RT–RP–NC was the most economical treatment combination, suggesting that RT–RP–NC could be a labor-effective means of increasing teff production by smallholder farms in Ethiopia.

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