Lighting the World: the first application of an open source, spatial electrification tool (OnSSET) on Sub-Saharan Africa

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Agenda 2030, which comprises a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by 169 targets. 'Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030' is the seventh goal (SDG7). While access to energy refers to more than electricity, the latter is the central focus of this work. According to the World Bank's 2015 Global Tracking Framework, roughly 15% of the world's population (or 1.1 billion people) lack access to electricity, and many more rely on poor quality electricity services. The majority of those without access (87%) reside in rural areas. This paper presents results of a geographic information systems approach coupled with open access data. We present least-cost electrification strategies on a country-by-country basis for Sub-Saharan Africa. The electrification options include grid extension, mini-grid and stand-alone systems for rural, peri-urban, and urban contexts across the economy. At low levels of electricity demand there is a strong penetration of standalone technologies. However, higher electricity demand levels move the favourable electrification option from stand-alone systems to mini grid and to grid extensions

A Geospatial Assessment of Small-Scale Hydropower Potential in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has been at the epicenter of an ongoing global dialogue around the issue of energy poverty. More than half of the world’s population without access to modern energy services lives there. It also happens to be a sub-continent with plentiful renewable energy resource potential. Hydropower is one of them, and to a large extent it remains untapped. This study focuses on the technical assessment of small-scale hydropower (0.01–10 MW) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The underlying methodology was based on open source geospatial datasets, whose combination allowed a consistent evaluation of 712,615 km of river network spanning over 44 countries. Environmental, topological, and social constraints were included in the form of constraints in the optimization algorithm. The results are presented on a country and power pool basis

Divergent Mass Selection for Leaf Chlorophyll Content Measured Using Chlorophyll Meter Readings in a Maize Composite Population

Leaf chlorophyll content is correlated with photosynthetic activity indicators and leaf nitrogen concentration. Three cycles of divergent mass selection for chlorophyll content were performed to estimate heritability, response to selection, and correlated changes in grain yield for these traits in a synthetic maize (Zea mays L.) population. Selection for high and low chlorophyll content was performed in the field using the SPAD chlorophyll meter, and response to selection was measured in field evaluations of the C-0, C-1, C-2, and C-3 populations. The divergent selection responses cycle-1 were 1.2 SPAD unit increase versus 0.2 decrease at anthesis and 0.9 increase versus 0.9 decrease at grain-filling period relative to the base average of 55.9 and 53.5, respectively. The C-3 high and low selections showed significant differences in chlorophyll content at anthesis and grain filling stages, but no significant selection indirect response was detected for grain yield. Thus, our data indicate that leaf chlorophyll content is heritable and that it can be manipulated through conventional breeding methodology. Additional cycles of chlorophyll content selection are needed to determine if chlorophyll content will be useful as an indirect selection criterion for yield improvement

Mixing ability of conventionally bred common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) cultivars for grain yield under low-input cultivation

An alternative way to overcome the negative environmental fluctuations observed in low-input culture systems is to compose and utilize cultivar mixtures. However, the available genetic materials to compose such mixtures are cultivars developed by conventional breeding programs with questionable adaptability under low-inputs. The aim of this work was to investigate the mixing ability of conventionally bred common vetch cultivars for grain yield under low-input cultivation. Six common vetch cultivar mixtures were evaluated over their conventionally bred cultivar components for grain yield under low-input cultivation in four environments (2007-2009). Grain yield and stability performance were assessed for each entry. Mixture effect was calculated as an index for the quantitative relation between the mixture and its conventionally bred cultivar components. ANOVA and GGE-biplot analysis indicated that four out of six mixtures over-yielded the average of the experiment and the most cultivar pure stands. Two of the mixtures illustrated high yield, stability across environments and positive Mixture Effect in three out of four environments and could be recommended for low-input cultivation. Earliness and temporal maturing of common vetch cultivar components were recognized as major factors affecting mixture's grain yield and stability performance and should be taken into account when composing common vetch cultivar mixtures for grain yield

Molecular fingerprinting of a new Kiwifruit cultivar (cv. Tsehelidis) and comparative analysis with cv. Hayward according to physicochemical properties

"Tsechelidis" is a new kiwifruit cultivar of Actinidia deliciosa species that was developed in North Greece (Episkopi, Imathia) through collaboration between Farmaplant S.A and Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly. The variety originated from a systematically sporophytic selection in cv. Hayward and was evaluated for its plant and fruit characteristics for 3 years. In parallel with the above, the genetic identity of the new variety was determined using molecular DNA analysis, based on SSR markers. The results of the analysis supported the uncontested differences between the two comparative genotypes (Tsechelidis vs. Hayward). On December 2003 an application was submitted to the European Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), which covers the jurisdiction of the EU regards the examination of characteristics and the plant breeder's right of the new variety on the inventor's initiative. The final approval for the new variety was granted on November 2007. Nowadays the variety is grown commercially in Greece, Italy, Chile and New Zealand. The most important morphological and quality characteristics, of both the fruit and the plant, are the large, cylindrical size of fruit (mean weight 170-180 g), the high vitamin C content (almost double amount compared to Hayward variety), fruit uniformity, vigorous plant growth and early period of ripening. Fruit cv. Tsechelidis had also minor flesh colour differences, ripened more rapidly at room temperature and was always of better organoleptic quality compared to fruit cv. Hayward. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V

Genetic diversity among common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Greek landraces and commercial cultivars: nutritional components, RAPD and morphological markers

The genetic diversity among the main local landraces and commercial cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cultivated in Greece, was estimated by studying the morphological, agronomical and physicochemical traits along with molecular data analysis using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD markers). Cluster analysis was conducted on similarity estimates using the UPGMA algorithm. Application of cluster analysis resulted in a dendrogram representing the genetic relationship among landraces and main bean cultivars grown in Greece. A wide genetic variation was observed among collected local bean landraces in morphological characteristics such as seed color, seed size and growth habit. According to agronomic performance, significant differences were found in number and weight of pods per plant. Variation in protein and fat content among landraces and commercial cultivars was also detected. Moreover, in some landraces like Kastoria and Byzitsa M/M extremely high values for protein content (28.6% and 27.0% respectively) were recorded. Such values were greater than the average protein content previously recorded for other cultivars of this species. Genetic similarity estimated from molecular analysis with RAPDs, seemed not to be related with the seed morphological characteristics and agronomic performance. Only qualitative parameters like growth habit and occasionally geographical origin of landraces were positively correlated with the molecular classification. Local bean landraces were classified in three subgroups whereas the commercial cultivars formed another separate group underlining the narrow genetic base of cultivars