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Assessment of Farmers' Preferences and Constraints to Maize Production in the Moist Midaltitude Zone of Western Kenya
... In the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, maize plays a significant role in reducing poverty and improving the food security status for poor families [3]. In the sub-Saharan region, maize is used for human consumption, while in developed countries it is used for profit making from feed, fuel and other raw materials for industrial products [3,4]. It has been reported that maize alone, without following a diversified diet, encourages food and nutrition insecurity. ...
... Maize is also sensitive to nutrient deficiencies in the soil (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). According to Odendo and Odongo [4], farmers from low income communities tend to use maize-legume intercropping to improve nutrient availability in the soil. Legumes are known to fix nitrogen in the soil and, therefore, their intercropping benefits maize. ...
... One of the advantages of PVABM is that it is cheaper compared to other vitamin A supplementations [4]. After crops have been bred and grown, there is a lower cost of production in subsequent years, given the appropriate storage conditions. ...
Biofortification interventions have the potential to combat malnutrition. This review explored the use of provitamin A-biofortified maize (PVABM) as a vitamin A deficiency (VAD) reduction agricultural-based strategy. Maize has been identified as one of the key staple crops for biofortification to reduce hidden hunger in Africa. Most nutrition interventions have not been successful in reducing hunger because rural communities, who mainly rely on agriculture, have been indirectly excluded. The biofortification intervention proposed here aims to be an inclusive strategy, based on smallholder farming systems. Vitamin A is a micronutrient essential for growth, immune function, reproduction and vision, and its deficiency results in VAD. VAD is estimated to affect more than 250 million children in developing countries. In Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a staple food for rural communities, consumed by most household members. Due to carotenoids, PVABM presents an orange color. This color has been reported to lead to negative perceptions about PVABM varieties. The perceived agronomic traits of this maize by smallholder farmers have not been explored. Adoption and utilization of PVABM varieties relies on both acceptable consumer attributes and agronomic traits, including nutritional value. It is therefore important to assess farmers' perceptions of and willingness to adopt the varieties, and the potential markets for PVABM maize. It is essential to establish on-farm trials and experiments to evaluate the response of PVABM under different climatic conditions, fertilizer levels and soils, and its overall agronomic potential. For the better integration of PVABM with smallholder farming systems, farmer training and workshops about PVABM should be part of any intervention. A holistic approach would enhance farmers' knowledge about PVABM varieties and that their benefits out-compete other existing maize varieties.
... Maize accounts for > 20% of total agricultural production, and 25% of agricultural employment in Kenya [1]. Thus, Kenya's national food security is strongly linked to the production of adequate quantities of maize to meet an increasing domestic demand [2,3]. The total land area under maize in Kenya is about 1.5 million ha, with 70-80% of maize being produced by small-scale farmers with an average on-farm production of 1.5-2.6 tons per ha. ...
... Since its first reports in Bomet county in 2011, the disease has spread into other areas [5] (Fig. 1). Yield losses of up to 100% which is an estimated grain loss of 126, 000 metric tonnes valued at $52 million have been reported in Kenya [2] while Castillo-loayza [11] reported yield losses of up to 59% due to MCMV in Peru. A survey conducted in the maize growing regions of Kenya in 2013/2014 indicated that 60% of the 2,467 randomly selected samples were positive for MCMV with more than 40% of these being infected with MCMV alone. ...
Background
Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease continues to reduce the productivity of maize drastically threatening food security in the affected regions. It continues to cause yield loss of 30–100 percent in farmers’ fields, depending on the time of infestation which is valued at $198 million in Kenya. This has not only threatened regional trade, but also seed industry. It has been reported in the major maize belts of Uasin Gishu, Trans-Nzoia, Bomet, Narok and Nandi Counties. MLN is caused by the synergistic interaction between Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) and Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus (MCMV). The disease has then spread to other Eastern and Central African countries with devastating food security and economic consequences.
Objectives
This study highlights result after screening selected maize inbred lines for resistance to MLN, SCMV and MCMV in identifying promising lines for integration into the breeding program for MLN resistance.
Methods
Sixty-five (65) maize genotypes were artificially inoculated using virus strains collected from Bomet County in Kenya at 3-4 leaf stage. Data on disease severity and incidence, AUDPC and flowering were recorded.
Results
From the result, the inbred lines had significant differences for SCMV, MCMV and MLN reactions. Based on Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC) score and ELISA analysis, genotypes MLN001 and MLN006 have the lowest score of 270, whereas OH28 had a maximum at 1259 under MCMV. Genotypes MLN042 and MLN041 were identified as the most promising sources of resistant against SCMV. However, no genotype was identified to have acceptable levels of tolerance to MLN, but MLN001 and MLN013 were identified as the best performers under MLN. This study also validated the presence of MLN tolerance in MLN013 (CKDHL120312) and MLN001 (CKDHL120918) as earlier reported by CIMMYT. These tolerant genotypes are now serving as donors in the introgression of the tolerance into the Kenyan adapted maize backgrounds and development of improved MLN tolerant varieties. This will go a long way in restoring and ensuring sustainable maize productivity in improving the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers who form 75% of the major maize producers in Kenya.
Conclusion
The identified inbred lines would be recommended for use in varietal development, MLN management and to enhance maize productivity, in the MLN endemic regions and further research in understanding the mode of gene action for MLN tolerance.
... Te major loss is caused by storage pests such as maize weevil, S. zeamais, grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L), and four beetle, Tribolium confusum (J.) [4]. Tese insect pests can cause 20-40% losses during cultivation and 30-90% during postharvest and storage [10]. ...
Maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) are commonly stored grain pests of economic importance in several parts of Africa. A huge amount of synthetic pesticides is being used for the management of crop pests, which have many negative effects on the biotic and abiotic components of the environment. Plant-derived pesticides, on the other hand, are safe for the environment, affect only target insects, have a low application cost, and are easily biodegradable. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of ethanol leaf tinctures of four selected botanicals against S. zeamais: Brucea antidysenterica (J.) (Waginos), Croton macrostachyus (Hochst.) (broad-leaved croton), Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) (Boston fern), and Carica papaya (L.) (papaya). The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four different concentrations (0 mL, 2.5 mL, 5 mL, and 7.5 mL) and four plant leaf tinctures in three replicates. A random sample of 300 g of clean maize seed was treated with the four selected botanicals in plastic jars covered with a muslin cloth. Twenty adult maize weevils were introduced into each disinfected, treated, and untreated maize grain. The mortality rate, grain damage, and F1 progeny emergences were assessed and analyzed using SPSS software version 25. The highest (100%) mortality rate of S. zeamais was recorded for maize seeds treated with the leaf tincture of B. antidysenterica, followed by maize seeds treated with the leaf tincture of C. papaya (97.5%) at an application rate of 7.5 mL/300 g. The mean weight loss of the seeds showed a significant variation between the treatments. The mean weight loss of the seeds in the control (8.96%) was higher than the total mean weight loss treated by all plant leaf tinctures (3.66%). The emergence of F1 progeny of S. zeamais on maize grains showed significant differences among the treatments. The highest emergence (100%) of F1 progenies was recorded for the control treatment followed by C. macrostachyus (16.65%) at a rate of 2.5 mL/300 g maize grain treatment. The study concluded that B. antidysenterica and C. papaya tinctures had the potential to control the infestation of maize grains by S. zeamais.
... However, maize production in Kenya is around 1.77 t/ha (FAOSTAT 2019), this is far below the achievable potential of 6 t/ha when maize is cultivated under good agronomic and management conditions, use of the right quality of fertilizers and use of improved maize hybrids adaptable to the agro-ecological zones (Odendo et al. 2001). ...
Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) is a disease of maize reported in Kenya in 2012 that results in yield losses of up to 100%. The epidemiology of MLN is complex as the disease is caused by the synergistic interaction of 2 viruses (Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and a potyvirus). In addition, multiple reservoirs and transmission pathways exist for the spread of MLN. The current study was conducted to understand farmers’ maize production practices, their understanding of MLN, and the status of MLN in Kenya. Therefore, a survey of 406 randomly selected farmers was conducted in Bomet, Narok, Kirinyaga, Embu, and Nakuru. To confirm the presence of MLN, maize leaf samples were collected from 18 fields and tested for MCMV and SCMV by molecular techniques. MLN Symptoms observed included chlorotic mottle on leaves, necrosis, and premature plant death. MCMV and SCMV were detected in all the maize growing regions at varying levels of incidence, and severity. Sequence analysis of the partial coat protein genes of randomly selected positive samples of the two viruses showed little variability within the studied isolates and those retrieved from the GenBank. The results indicated that MLN is still prevalent in Kenya with farmers’ planting susceptible varieties.
... One of the elements contributing to high storage losses is the problem of storage insect pests such as the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky); rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.); Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier); and the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Tefera et al., 2011). They can cause 20-40% losses during cultivation and 30-90% postharvest and storage losses (Odendo et al., 2001). In West Africa, an estimated 25-40% of grain crop is lost in shops every 12 months due to weevil menace (Costa, 2014). ...
Sitophilus zeamais and Prostephanus truncatus can cause weight loss of about 20 to 90% of untreated stored maize seeds. This study assesses four plants (Lantana camara, Moringa oleifera, Citrus sinensis and Hyptis suaveolens) extracts as seed maize protectants against the two insects in Ghana. The study was laid out in a CRD with three replications. Dried powders (5 and 10% w/w) and aqueous extracts (0.05 and 0.1 g/mL) of the botanicals were evaluated for their insecticidal activity with untreated control and Actellic included as checks. Oviposition and survivorship of insects decreased in grains treated with plant extracts. The phytochemical analysis revealed that compounds such as alkaloids, saponins, tannins and phenolic, steroids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, phlobatannins, cardiac glycosides and terpenoids were recorded in all four plant extracts. These compounds may have caused lower progeny emergence, inhibitory effect, repellent action and antifeedant effect to S. zeamais and P. truncatus in grains treated with the botanicals. Maize seeds treated with botanicals after 10 weeks in cribs recorded a reduction in the percentage of seeds damaged and weight loss caused by the two insects compared to the untreated seeds. The study proposes that the botanicals tested, especially H. suaveolens have the potential to enhance quality seed production thereby boosting growth in the seed industry. The botanicals are recommended for use by seed producers and farmers to control P. truncatus and S. zeamais in stored maize seeds.
... One of PVABM's benefits is that it is cheaper than other vitamin A supplements [40]. There is a lower production cost in subsequent years after the crops have been bred and grown, given the necessary storage conditions. ...
Maize occupies an important position in the world economy, and serves as an important source of food and feed. Together with rice and wheat, it provides at least 30 percent of the food calories to more than 4.5 billion people in 94 developing countries. Maize production is constrained by a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses that keep afflicting maize production and productivity causing serious yield losses which bring yield levels below the potential levels. New innovations and trends in the areas of genomics, bioinformatics, and phenomics are enabling breeders with innovative tools, resources and technologies to breed superior resilient cultivars having the ability to resist the vagaries of climate and insect pest attacks. Maize has high nutritional value but is deficient in two amino acids viz. Lysine and Tryptophan. The various micronutrients present in maize are not sufficient to meet the nutritive demands of consumers, however the development of maize hybrids and composites with modifying nutritive value have proven to be good to meet the demands of consumers. Quality protein maize (QPM) developed by breeders have higher concentrations of lysine and tryptophan as compared to normal maize. Genetic level improvement has resulted in significant genetic gain, leading to increase in maize yield mainly on farmer’s fields. Molecular tools when collaborated with conventional and traditional methodologies help in accelerating these improvement programs and are expected to enhance genetic gains and impact on marginal farmer’s field. Genomic tools enable genetic dissections of complex QTL traits and promote an understanding of the physiological basis of key agronomic and stress adaptive and resistance traits. Marker-aided selection and genome-wide selection schemes are being implemented to accelerate genetic gain relating to yield, resilience, and nutritional quality. Efforts are being done worldwide by plant breeders to develop hybrids and composites of maize with high nutritive value to feed the people in future.
... However, maize landraces that are the most preferred and are grown by smallholder farmers in Kenya have not been evaluated for resistance to FAW. These open pollinated varieties (OPVs) have been grown by smallholder farmers over generations because they are perceived to be drought and pest tolerant, low costs of acquiring seeds, and give reasonable yields under marginal environmental conditions without application of fertilizers and pesticides [15]. Indeed, studies have reported that they are less affected by the parasitic striga weed, Striga hermonthica Benth. ...
The fall armyworm (FAW) has recently invaded and become an important pest of maize in Africa causing yield losses reaching up to a third of maize annual production. The present study evaluated different aspects of resistance of six maize cultivars, cropped by farmers in Kenya, to FAW larvae feeding under laboratory and field conditions. We assessed the arrestment and feeding of FAW neonate larvae in no-choice and choice experiments, development of larvae-pupae, food assimilation under laboratory conditions and plant damage in a field experiment. We did not find complete resistance to FAW feeding in the evaluated maize cultivars, but we detected differences in acceptance and preference when FAW larvae were given a choice between certain cultivars. Moreover, the smallest pupal weight and the lowest growth index were found on ’SC Duma 43′ leaves, which suggests an effect of antibiosis of this maize hybrid against FAW larvae. In contrast, the highest growth index was recorded on ‘Rachar’ and the greatest pupal weight was found on ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Rachar’. The density of trichomes on the leaves of these maize cultivars seems not to be directly related to the preference of neonates for feeding. Plant damage scores were not statistically different between cultivars in the field neither under natural nor artificial infestation. However, plant damage scores in ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Jowi’ tended to be lower in the two last samplings of the season compared to the two initial samplings under artificial infestation. Our study provides insight into FAW larval preferences and performance on some African maize cultivars, showing that there are differences between cultivars in these variables; but high levels of resistance to larvae feeding were not found.
... Participatory farmer-breeder-chef collaborations have been suggested as an effective alternative for achieving productivity gains and adding the strength of culturally based plant breeding to the food movement (Bänziger & Cooper, 2001;Brouwer, Murphy & Jones, 2016). The improvement of rural livelihoods could be achieved if high yielding varieties, which possess desired traits, were selected and adopted by farmers (Odendo, De Groote & Odongo, 2002;Ngonkeu et al., 2017;Rahman et al., 2015). ...
Participatory variety selection (PVS) is important in understanding farmers' selection criteria, raising awareness, and facilitating adoption of improved varieties. This study aimed to understand farmers' maize selection criteria, identify superior varieties based on farmers' selections, combined with use of agronomic yield data. The study was conducted in Jixini and Mkhwezo in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Focus group discussions (FGD) and semi-structured questionnaires were used to identify maize selection criteria. Seven maize open pollinated varieties (OPVs) from CIMMYT-Zimbabwe (ZM 305, ZM 423 ZM 501, ZM 525, Obatanpa, ZM 621, ZM 627), two from IITA-Nigeria (BR 993, and Comp 4), three locally grown maize OPVs (Okavango, Afric 1 and Nelson's Choice) and a hybrid check (Pan 6479) were evaluated together with farmers in each of the villages. Farmer-selection criteria common to both villages were ear traits such as taste, long cobs, and big kernels. Other traits, such as prolificacy, early maturity, retainability of seed and dark leaves were village specific. Three varieties (Okavango, ZM 305 and ZM 501) were selected by farmers. In addition, there were no significant differences between the highest yielding varieties within each site. Farmers' choices were, therefore, consistent with selections made based on yield performance. However, some of the important traits for farmers, such as taste, were not normally prioritised, but should be considered when developing or recommending varieties. This will increase the likelihood of their adoption in marginal areas of South Africa.
... White grain colour was indicated by farmers to be associated with preferences of porridge colour and taste (Vom Brocke et al., 2010). Seed size and seed colour are the important traits to farmers during variety selection (Odendo et al., 2001). Although, the difference among their germplasm is small due to frequent seed exchange among farmers (Desmae et al., 2016). ...
Classification of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench] breeding material based on multiple crucial characters is important towards the possible formation of homogeneous groups of genotypes and groups that can be exploited in the identification of parents for use in a breeding program. The objective was to determine the morphological characters that distinguish desirable breeding material and group the genotypes of sorghum according to similarity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used to establish the relationships among germplasm and the Shannon Diversity index was used to quantify the level of diversity. The experiment involving 26 sorghum genotypes was conducted at Sussundenga Research Station across two seasons and laid out in a 13 × 2 alpha lattice design with four replications. Cluster analysis grouped genotypes into four clusters based on 15 evaluated traits. Five principal components cumulatively accounting for 58.5% of the total variation were estimated from the PCA analysis. The results showed that genotypes 150B, IS 14257R, LARSVYT 46B, TX 631B, TX 630B and 8601B were the early maturity while for late maturity genotypes were MA 6B, A 6352R, ICSA 19B and MZ 30R. The genotypes IS 7179R, SPL 9B, A 6353R, SPL 38B, SDS 6013R and MZ 2R showed a potential for grain yield improvement. Other genotypes presented potential for drought tolerance and birds attack. The multivariate analyses clearly showed the grouping of the genotypes according to the characters outlined in the study. These results have implications in selecting parents for use in sorghum breeding program
Maize ( Zea mays L.) is a staple food for many households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and also contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP). However, the maize yields reported in most SSA countries are very low and this is mainly attributed to biotic and abiotic stresses. These stresses have been exacerbated by climate change which has led to long periods of drought or heavy flooding and the emergence of new biotic stresses. Few reports exist which compile the biotic stresses affecting maize production in SSA. Here, five major biotic stresses of maize in Kenya are presented which are attributed to high yield losses. They include Maize lethal necrosis, fall armyworm, gray leaf spot, turcicum leaf blight and desert locusts. Maize lethal necrosis and fall armyworm are new biotic stresses to the Kenyan maize farmer while gray leaf spot, and turcicum leaf blight are endemic to the region. The invasion by the desert locusts is speculated to be caused by climate change. The biotic stresses cause a reduction in maize yield of 30–100% threatening food security. Therefore, this review focuses on the cause, control measures employed to control these diseases and future prospective. There should be deliberate efforts from the government and researchers to control biotic stresses affecting maize yields as the effect of these stresses is being exacerbated by the changing climate.
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