Legume diversification in smallholder tobacco systems of Malawi : climate risk management and market opportunities; end of project report

The project aimed to strengthen the technical capacity of the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM) and the Meteorological Department in supporting smallholder farmers who wish to diversify their cash crop production out of tobacco with groundnut production. Groundnut field trials confirmed significant effects of agronomic practices in determining grain yield. Crop phenology trials assisted in calibration of a simulation model using five main groundnut cultivars. Demonstration of the value of combining field experimentation and modeling in generating recommendations for improving crop productivity and economic returns to investment emerged as another critical achievement of the project

The dynamics of leaf surface wetness of sorghum seedlings in relation to resistance to the shoot fly, Atherigona soccata

In quantitative measurements of leaf surface wetness (LSW) of the central whorl leaf of sorghum seedlings in August (rainy season) and November (post-rainy season), the highest amount (6.29 mg of water) was recorded in August in the shoot fly Atherigona soccata (Diptera: Muscidae), susceptible sorghum genotype CSH 1, while the lowest (0.07 mg) was recorded in November in the resistant genotype IS 18551. Studies on diurnal fluctuation revealed that LSW was lowest at sunset, was highest between 02.00 and 04.00 h (closely corresponding with hatching of shoot fly eggs) and dropped before sunrise. This fluctuation was associated with the evaporation of water from the plant during the night. More LSW accumulation occurred during the main crop season (June-October) than in the post-rainy season (November-April). Annual fluctuation of LSW followed trends similar to the population dynamics of shoot fly and crop infestation and were correlated with rainfall, temperature and relative humidity. Measurements of leaf temperature and the vapour pressure gradient between the leaf and the air indicated that leaf surface water originates from the plant. This was further supported by the different amounts of LSW on susceptible and resistant cultivars with similar microclimatic conditions

Genome-wide transcriptome and physiological analyses provide new insights into peanut drought response mechanisms

Drought is one of the main constraints in peanut production in West Texas and eastern New Mexico regions due to the depletion of groundwater. A multi-seasonal phenotypic analysis of 10 peanut genotypes revealed C76-16 (C-76) and Valencia-C (Val-C) as the best and poor performers under deficit irrigation (DI) in West Texas, respectively. In order to decipher transcriptome changes under DI, RNAseq was performed in C-76 and Val-C. Approximately 369 million raw reads were generated from 12 different libraries of two genotypes subjected to fully irrigated (FI) and DI conditions, of which ~329 million (90.2%) filtered reads were mapped to the diploid ancestors of peanut. The transcriptome analysis detected 4,508 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 1554 genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) and a total of 514 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among the identified DEGs. The comparative analysis between the two genotypes revealed higher and integral tolerance in C-76 through activation of key genes involved in ABA and sucrose metabolic pathways. Interestingly, one SNP from the gene coding F-box protein (Araip.3WN1Q) and another SNP from gene coding for the lipid transfer protein (Aradu.03ENG) showed polymorphism in selected contrasting genotypes. These SNPs after further validation may be useful for performing early generation selection for selecting drought-responsive genotypes

Evaluating Impact of Improved Land and Water Resources Practices on Water Runoff and Shallow Aquifer

In this study, 484 shallow wells were geo-referenced, mapped and studied in two districts, Bougouni and Koutiala, in southern Mali to understand the dynamics of groundwater recharge and relationship with rainfall in different seasons.IFPRI1; Africa Risin

Monitoring of Market Prices, Characterization of Value Chains, Cost and Benefit Analysis and Adoption Evaluation

This research aims to (1) monitor the market prices on quarterly basis in Bougouni and Koutiala, (2) make a comparative analysis of on-farm trials conducted in intervention zones of the project, (3) value chain analysis of main crops, and (4) make an adoption evaluation of technologies promoted by the project in Bougouni and Koutiala districts.IFPRI1; Africa Risin

Mali Africa RISING: Biomass Assessment in Bougouni, 2013

This data study contains data on the trials on integrated intensification options for cereals and legumes in Bougouni (2013). Project title: Mali AfricaRISING: Biomass Assessment in Bougouni, 2013 Project abstract: Sustainable intensification of mixed crop livestock systems is a key pathway towards better food security, improved livelihoods and a healthy environment. As part of the US government?s Feed the Future initiative to address hunger and food security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting three multi-stakeholder agricultural research projects to sustainably intensify key African farming systems. Project website: http://africa-rising.net/where-we-work/west-africa/IFPRI1; Africa Risin

Evaluating Impact of Improved Land and Water Resources Practices on Water Runoff and Shallow Aquifer

In this study, 484 shallow wells were geo-referenced, mapped and studied in two districts, Bougouni and Koutiala, in southern Mali to understand the dynamics of groundwater recharge and relationship with rainfall in different seasons

Evaluating Crop Simulation Models Using Different Fertility Sources and Climate Model Outputs to Improve the Productivity of Sorghum

In the Sudanian region of Mali where sorghum is an important crop, inorganic fertilizer use is limited due to the high cost and limited availability, and limited soil moisture availability. However, fertilizers from livestock and poultry manure are largely available. This study evaluated different fertilizer response scenarios which will combine both organic and inorganic sources. Our target is to increase productivity (grain and biomass). Biomass so produced could further be used as a source of feed for the livestock and vice-versa. Furthermore, data collected from different agro-ecologies will be used to set up crop simulation models with climate model output of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to assess climate change impacts on sorghum yields and to evaluate the marginal cost-benefit of different fertility scenarios and varieties as adaptation options to climate change.IFPRI1; Africa Risin

Landscape Targeted Crop-Fertilizer Response in the Highlands of Ethiopia Version 1.0

The dataset is meant for developing fertilizer management decision support tool for an effective crop-nutrient management. The dataset is developed on the basis of landscape targeting on-farm trials on crop-nutrient response and crop yield gap assessment across the Africa Rising target districts and other scaling up locations in the Ethiopian highlands.Africa RISIN

Land and Water Management Practices

Land and water management practices like that of contour bunding, drip irrigation and shallow wells have been implemented by farmers over time in southern Mali. Farmers use these practices to improve yield performance and increase the household income. The impact of land and water management practices will be evaluated on two major staple food crops (sorghum and maize) grown in two agro-ecologies of southern Mali. The data collected will be augmented with data collected in 2015 and 2016. In the current year, data will be collected from the four established technology parks in Bougouni and Koutiala.IFPRI1; Africa Risin