Phenotypic, Host Range and Symbiotic

AbstractSoybean is an exotic crop to Ethiopia and may not necessarily have a specific endosymbiont in the soil. However, since it is a promiscuous host, nodulated by cross nodulating rhizobia, it is likely that some compatible endosymbionts exist from heterologous hosts that could nodulate it with effective nitrogen fixation. This necessitated the search for effective indigenous rhizobia isolates and/or compatible and effective cross-inoculating rhizobia that are already adapted to local conditions. To this end, a total of 67 bacterial isolates were trapped from different soil samples using two soybean varieties (Clark-63K and Awassa-95) and one cowpea variety (Bole), to evaluate their diversity and screen for their symbiotic effectiveness. Accordingly, the majority of isolates (93%) were tentatively categorized into alkali producing slow growing Bradyrhiobium spp. and the others (7%) were fast growing and acid producing rhizobia. The isolates showed differences in utilizing various carbon and nitrogen sources and tolerance to acidity, salinity and temperature. The isolates were also diverse in their inherent antibiotic and heavy metal resistance. All the isolates were able to nodulate soybean variety Clark-63K with significant difference in their capacity to infect and effectively fix nitrogen evidenced from variations in nodulation parameters and shoot dry weights. Accordingly, the isolates induced nodulation with nodule number ranging from 2 to 49 nodules plant-1; nodule dry weight of 16 mg plant-1 to 94 mg plant-1 and shoot dry weight between 585 and 1012 mg plant-1. Using shoot dry weight as an indicator of the relative effectiveness of the isolates, 12% of the isolates were highly effective (SE > 80%) and 88% were effective (SE from 50 to 80%) on soybean. Furthermore, the isolates showed narrow and broad host ranges on four legume species viz., cowpea, mung bean, pigeon pea, and peanut. Accordingly, many isolates (67%) formed nodules with effective nitrogen fixation with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) (47%), and on few cases with mung bean (Vigna radiata) showing different level of effectiveness. However, the data showed very narrow host range on peanut (Arachis hypogaea) where, only one isolate formed effective nodules

Worldwide Contrast in Application of Bio-Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Lessons for Sub-Saharan Africa

The use of bio-fertilizers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is low compared to selected developed and Asian countries. The later have perceived the products as useful and have invested in use of bio-fertilizers in their agricultural systems. Effective regulations in developed and selected Asian countries have enhanced the availability of high quality products. Conversely, lack of awareness, infrastructure, skill and absence of a supportive regulatory framework in SSA has negatively impacted the use of bio-fertilizers. This review aims at pointing out what SSA could learn from selected developed and Asian countries to improve the availability and adoption of high quality bio-fertilizers. The benefits in terms of biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake, yield increases, cost saving, and utilization constraints are discussed to create awareness of stakeholders interested in the agricultural application of the technology in SSA. Keywords: bio-fertilizer, availability, adoption, profitability, sub-Saharan Afric

Composition and spore abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in sweet potato producing areas in Uganda

IntroductionFarming systems influence composition and abundance of microbial communities.MethodologyA study was conducted using morphotyping and enumeration methods to determine the composition and spore abundance of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in sweet potato producing regions in eastern Uganda. Sampling was done from fields with crop types (CTs) including legumes (groundnuts, common beans, cowpea, soybeans, green grams), sorghum, sweet potato, and fallowed fields which were used as a control. Three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) i.e., Mt. Elgon High Farmlands (MEHF), Lake Victoria Crescent (LVC), and Southern and Eastern Lake Kyoga Basin (SELKB) were considered.Results and discussionA total of 6 AMF genera comprising of Glomus, Acaulospora, Scutellospora, Entrophospora, Archaeospora, and Gigaspora were isolated from the study sites. Agro-ecological zones had a significant (p<0.05) effect on Entrophospora spp. while crop types had a significant (p<0.05) effect on Gigaspora spp. although all the AMF genera were present in all AEZs and CTs. Spore abundance was similar across the AEZs except for MEHF (177) which was lower while spore abundance lowest in sweet potato (177) and largest in fallow (224), attributed to soil properties and similar crops included in the crop rotation program. The AMF can be isolated, identified, and multiplied to produce bioinoculants for the regions

Guidelines to the agroecology-I context document

The purpose of the Context Document is threefold: first, to characterize the environmental, social and economic context of each Agroecological Living Lab (ALL); second, to understand the data and information currently available in each ALL; and third to characterize how and the extent to which agroecological principles are already being employed in each ALL. The Context Document is not meant to be a quantitative baseline or an exhaustive report, but rather a broad overview of the situation in each ALL. The data collected during the Context Document can be utilized during the visioning and assessment phases and is fundamental to describe the situation in each ALL and will inform the impact assessment. It will also be valuable to all other WPs as it will provide foundational data for their investigation

Spatio‐temporal partitioning and sharing of parasitoids by fall armyworm and maize stemborers in Cameroon

Biological invasion is a global concern with species deployed out of native range, the most recent in Africa being the invasion by fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). One of the most mentioned ecological consequences is the capacity of invaders to change native communities' structure. Busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has long been the most destructive pests of maize in Africa. Few or no studies have attempted to look at the interaction between FAW and native maize pests over a cropping cycle for sustainable management. Maize trials were established over two cropping cycles in Cameroon to investigate the nature of such interactions and eventual sharing of parasitoids. FAW incidence decreased with maize growth, while the reverse was observed for stemborers. Few cases of co‐occurrence were recorded at the later maize growth stage. There was a clear indication that FAW infestation was associated with vegetative stages, while stemborers were associated with reproductive stages. Only FAW eggs were found on abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces, while only stemborer eggs were inside leaf sheaths. Similarly, while larvae of both groups were found in maize whorl and on ears, only FAW larvae were found in closed tassels, while only stemborers were found inside stems. These results are in favour of segregation in time and space in plant colonization by native and invasive pests, which may limit competition and exacerbates damage if no control is provided. The same egg, larval and pupal parasitoids respectively Telenomus remus, Cotesia icipe and Procerochasmias nigromaculatus emerged from isolated FAW and B. fusca eggs, larvae, and pupae. The sharing of parasitoids by both species provides a unique opportunity for augmentative biocontrol

The value of manure - Manure as co-product in life cycle assessment

Research ArticleLivestock production is important for food security, nutrition, and landscape maintenance, but it is associated with several environmental impacts. To assess the risk and benefits arising from livestock production, transparent and robust indicators are required, such as those offered by life cycle assessment. A central question in such approaches is how environmental burden is allocated to livestock products and to manure that is re-used for agricultural production. To incentivize sustainable use of manure, it should be considered as a co-product as long as it is not disposed of, or wasted, or applied in excess of crop nutrient needs, in which case it should be treated as a waste. This paper proposes a theoretical approach to define nutrient requirements based on nutrient response curves to economic and physical optima and a pragmatic approach based on crop nutrient yield adjusted for nutrient losses to atmosphere and water. Allocation of environmental burden to manure and other livestock products is then based on the nutrient value from manure for crop production using the price of fertilizer nutrients. We illustrate and discuss the proposed method with two case studiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A case against silver bullets: context assessments are key for agroecological transitions in diverse food systems

The agroecological context assessment of the CGIAR initiative on Agroecology in each of its Agroecological Living Landscapes aimed at: (a) determining the environmental, economic, and social context of the agricultural and food systems, (b) compiling data and information available as evidence of the context, and (c) determining to which extent the 13 agroecological principles are currently applied. The information compiled will serve as a baseline for the Initiative and inform the development of targeted interventions

Effect of co-application of phosphorus fertilizer and in vitro-produced mycorrhizal fungal inoculants on yield and leaf nutrient concentration of cassava.

The adaptability of cassava to low fertile and marginal soils facilitates its production in subsistent agriculture. As a result, smallholder farmers rarely apply fertilizers. The current yield gap is therefore very large, calling for application of fertilizers and soil amendments to improve its productivity. Field experiments were carried out to assess the potential of partially substituting Phosphorus (P) fertilizers by in vitro-produced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculants in cassava production in two agro-ecologies of Nigeria: Northern Guinea Savanna (Samaru) and Sudan Savanna (Minjibir). The experiments were laid out in a split plot design with P levels (0, 17.5, 35 and 52.5 kg P2O5 ha-1) as main plot and AMF inoculants (Control, Glomygel, Glomygel carrier, Mycodrip, Mycodrip carrier) as subplots. The results in Samaru showed that there was significant interaction between AMF and P in root fresh weight, total biomass and root to shoot ratio. The root fresh weights of the inoculated cassava increased proportionally with application of P. However, highest root fresh weight of cassava inoculated with Glomygel was observed at 35 kg P2O5 ha-1 recording 25% yield increase compared to 52.5 kg P2O5 ha-1 application. Interestingly, Cassava inoculated with Glomygel at 17.5 kg P2O5 ha-1 gave root fresh yield statistically similar to where 35 kg P2O5 ha-1 was applied. This represented a 50% reduction in P fertilizer use. Also, cassava inoculated with Glomygel increased leaf nutrient concentrations, which strongly correlated with the root fresh yield. However, no effects of inoculant carriers were observed in yield and nutrient concentrations. Contrarily, there was no significant treatment effect in Minjibir for nearly all the measured parameters. Cassava yield was however, higher in Minjibir than Samaru probably due to soil fertility and structural differences, which resulted in few observable effects of AMF and P treatments at Minjibir. We conclude that under low P conditions inoculation with in vitro produced AMF inoculants could be employed to reduce P fertilizer requirements for cassava and improve yields, but the variability of the responses as a result of soil heterogeneity and the identity of the fungal strain in the inoculant require further investigations before recommending the practice