Participatory variety development for sorghum in Burkina Faso: Farmers’ selection and farmers’ criteria

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is the staple crop of Burkina Faso in West Africa where guinea race landraces are grown in low-input cropping systems. National and international breeding programs have had little success in disseminating modern varieties based on high yield potential caudatum or kafir race breeding materials, mostly introduced from other countries. It has been argued that the breeding objectives were not sufficiently oriented towards the farmers’ needs and preferences, and that they did not target the prevailing growing conditions of Burkina Faso. The objectives of the present article are (i) to identify and examine farmers’ selection criteria for sorghum varieties in the Centre-West of Burkina Faso, (ii) to compare these criteria with the breeder’s agronomic observations and standard practices, and (iii) to show how the criteria of both farmers and breeders can be effectively integrated into the early stages of a pedigree breeding program. These objectives take into consideration gender differentiation, consistency of selection criteria and the interrelationship of measured quantitative traits, as well as the impact of these traits and criteria on the final selection. The present paper is based on a pedigree breeding program that was carried out over three years (2001–2003) in two villages of Burkina Faso. Options for integrating farmers’ selection expertise with that of the breeders’ were examined. Participatory selection was initiated with 53 F3/F4 progenies in field trials managed by farmers using rating and voting exercises. The breeders measured and analysed the agronomic data while the farmers evaluated a large number of progenies by means of their three most important selection criteria and a general appreciation. Farmers’ initial choices remained consistent in the selection exercises (voting) performed in subsequent years. The farmers’ methods for defining traits turned out to be more multivariate than the breeders’ formal understanding of these same traits. This was especially so for the criteria of grain quality, earliness, and productivity for which the farmers’ definition encompasses factors such as flour yield and stability across environments. However, rating results between farmer groups were variable. A disagreement between female and male ratings was especially found for the grain quality traits. The results clearly show that farmers can effectively select for traits on the basis of progeny and single plants while pursuing specific agronomic aims such as adaption. Subsequent yield improvement schemes will thus be more efficient in terms of selection intensity related to grain yield. The study is showing the way for breeders to adjust their selection criteria to suit the basic needs of small-scale farmer in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa

Determination of genetic structure of germplasm collections: are traditional hierarchical clustering methods appropriate for molecular marker data?

Despite the availability of newer approaches, traditional hierarchical clustering remains very popular in genetic diversity studies in plants. However, little is known about its suitability for molecular marker data. We studied the performance of traditional hierarchical clustering techniques using real and simulated molecular marker data. Our study also compared the performance of traditional hierarchical clustering with model-based clustering (STRUCTURE). We showed that the cophenetic correlation coefficient is directly related to subgroup differentiation and can thus be used as an indicator of the presence of genetically distinct subgroups in germplasm collections. Whereas UPGMA performed well in preserving distances between accessions, Ward excelled in recovering groups. Our results also showed a close similarity between clusters obtained by Ward and by STRUCTURE. Traditional cluster analysis can provide an easy and effective way of determining structure in germplasm collections using molecular marker data, and, the output can be used for sampling core collections or for association studies

Evaluation de la qualite des soins neonatals dans un hopital de reference du Burkina Faso.

Objectif général : Evaluer la qualité des soins fournis aux nouveau-nés.Matériels et Méthode : Il s’agissait d’une étude transversale à visée descriptive qui s'est déroulée sur quatre mois (15 janvier au 14 Mai 2018) dans l'unité de néonatologie du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pédiatrique Charles de Gaulle, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Les données générales administratives, les soins néonatals, l’opinion des jeunes mères et des agents de santé étaient évalués. L’outil d’évaluation et d’amélioration de la qualité des soins maternels, néonatals et pédiatriques intégrés de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé adapté au contexte du Burkina Faso était utilisé.Résultats : La qualité des données administratives et générales de l'hôpital était notée 4 sur 5. Les soins néonatals avaient une moyenne de 3 sur 5. Les mères estimaient que le niveau de la qualité des soins néonatals atteignait le score de 4 tandis que les agents de santé jugeaient à 3 la qualité de ces soins. Le score final de l’évaluation était 3 sur 5.Conclusion : Il y a un besoin certain d’amélioration pour atteindre les standards de soins de qualité néonatals dans cet hôpital. La bonne qualité des soins passe par la formation continue du personnel, l’équipement, la disponibilité des médicaments et des intrants, un changement de comportement de tous les acteurs qui interviennent dans le système de soins. Mots clés : Qualité, Evaluation, Soins néonatals English Abstract Assessment of the quality of neonatal care in a referral hospital of Burkina Faso. Objective: To determine the level of quality of care provided to newborns.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study over a four-month period from January 15 to May 14, 2018 at the University Teaching Pediatric Hospital Charles de Gaulle Neonatal Care Unit, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Administrative data, neonatal care, opinion of young mothers and caregivers have been evaluated. The World Health Organization's assessment and quality improvement tool for integrated maternal, neonatal and pediatric care adapted to the context of Burkina Faso was used.Results: The quality of the administrative and general data was rated 4 out of 5. The quality of the neonatal care was rated 3 out of 5 including neonatal health services, infection control practices, availability of materials and products rated 3 out of 5 and availability of drugs, management of sick newborns, and monitoring and follow-up of sick newborns, each rated 4 out of 5. In their opinion, mothers rated the quality of neonatal care as high. 4 while health workers rated the quality of this care as high. The final evaluation score of 3 out of 5 meant that there is a definite need for improvement to reach the standards of neonatal quality care in this hospital.Conclusion: Improving the quality of neonatal care at CHUP CDG is essential for reducing neonatal and infant mortality. This quality involves continuous training of staff, equipment, the availability of medicines and inputs, a change in behavior of all the actors involved in the health care system. Keywords: Quality of care, Assessment, Neonatal care, Newborn

Predictors of severity and prolonged hospital stay of viral acute respiratory infections (ARI) among children under five years in Burkina Faso, 2016–2019

Abstract Background Viruses are the leading etiology of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. However, there is limited knowledge on drivers of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases involving viruses. We aimed to identify factors associated with severity and prolonged hospitalization of viral SARI among children  7 days). Conclusion Younger age, malnutrition, codetection of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and illness during the rainy season were associated with very severe cases and prolonged hospitalization of SARI involving viruses in children under five years. These findings emphasize the need for preventive actions targeting these factors in young children