Completing Baseline Mapping of Trachoma in Uganda: Results of 14 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Conducted in 2014 and 2018.

PURPOSE: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in children aged 1-9 years, trichiasis in adults aged ≥15 years, and water and sanitation (WASH) indicators in 12 suspected-endemic districts in Uganda. METHODS: Surveys were undertaken in 14 evaluation units (EUs) covering 12 districts. Districts were selected based on a desk review in 2014 (four districts) and trachoma rapid assessments in 2018 (eight districts). We calculated that 1,019 children aged 1-9 years were needed in each EU to estimate TF prevalence with acceptable precision and used three-stage cluster sampling to select 30 households in each of 28 (2014 surveys) or 24 (2018 surveys) villages. Participants living in selected households aged ≥1 year were examined for trachoma; thus enabling estimation of prevalences of TF in 1-9 year-olds and trichiasis in ≥15 year-olds. Household-level WASH access data were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 11,796 households were surveyed; 22,465 children aged 1-9 years and 24,652 people aged ≥15 years were examined. EU-level prevalence of TF ranged from 0.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1-0.7) to 3.9% (95% CI 2.1-5.8). EU-level trichiasis prevalence ranged from 0.01% (95% CI 0-0.11) to 0.81% (95% CI 0.35-1.50). Overall proportions of households with improved drinking water source, water source in yard or within 1km, and improved sanitation facilities were 88.1%, 23.0% and 23.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: TF was not a public health problem in any of the 14 EUs surveyed: antibiotic mass drug administration is not required in these districts. However, in four EUs, trichiasis prevalence was ≥ 0.2%, so public health-level trichiasis surgery interventions are warranted. These findings will facilitate planning for elimination of trachoma in Uganda

Market‐led options to scale up legume seeds in developing countries: Experiences from the Tropical Legumes Project

There are several hurdles to ensure sustainable seed production and consistent flow of improved legume varieties in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA). The unreliable demand, autogamous nature of most of the grain legumes, and slow variety replacement rate by smallholder farmers do not provide strong incentive for private seed companies to invest in legume seed business. Unless a well thought‐out and comprehensive approach to legume seed delivery is developed, current seed shortages will continue, eroding emerging market opportunities. The experiences reported here are collated through a 10‐year partnership project, the Tropical Legumes in SSA and SA. It fostered innovative public–private partnerships in joint testing of innovative market‐led seed systems, skills and knowledge enhancement, de‐risking private sector initiatives that introduced in new approaches and previously overlooked entities in technology delivery. As new public and private seed companies, individual seed entrepreneurs and farmer organizations emerged, the existing ones enhanced their capacities. This resulted in significant rise in production, availability and accessibility of various seed grades of newly improved and farmer demanded legume varieties in the target countries

Yield and Mineral Composition among Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] Genotypes Grown in Different Agroecologies in East Africa

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek var. radiata] also referred to as green gram is a key crop especially in the marginal areas of East Africa. It is rich in micronutrients and protein and thus can help ameliorate malnutrition if incorporated into diets. 'is study was conducted to evaluate the performance of 26 fixed elite mungbean breeding genotypes for yield and micronutrient composition across di6erent locations in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania). 'e genotypes displayed significant variability for nutritional, phenology, and yield-related traits across test environments. Significant genotype e6ects were observed for most of the traits except for average yield per plant and dry matter content (P < 0.05). Random effect of environment was significant for all traits, and significant GXE was observed for all traits except for dry matter and iron content (P < 0.05). Moderate to high broad-sense heritability (H2) was found among traits except for dry matter content which was low (H2 =10.4%). 'ere was a signi4cant and positive correlation between Fe and Zn (r =0.58), and Fe and Ca (r=0.46), indicating the potential to enhance these traits simultaneously through breeding and/or selection. However, the correlation between yield and nutrients (iron, zinc, and calcium) was negative. Environments KAT_SR_2019, KYM_LR_2020, and KYM_LR_2020 were found to be discriminating (informative) and representative of grain yield, calcium, and zinc content, respectively. Genotypes AVMU 1679, AVMU 1685, and AVMU 1686 combined both stability and high micronutrient content, while the high yielding and stable genotypes were AVMU 1689, AVMU 1681, and AVMU 16102. The identified genotypes need to be assessed for farmer preference in on-farm trials before they can be recommended for release as new varieties. Additionally, these genotypes will be useful in future breeding efforts as donors aimed at developing nutrient-dense and high yielding mungbean varieties

Genomics, genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement

Genomics, genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement