The draft genome sequence of Xanthomonas species strain Nyagatare, isolated from diseased bean in Rwanda.

types: Journal ArticleThis is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in FEMS following peer review. The version of record Aritua, V., Musoni, A., Kabeja, A., Butare, L., Mukamuhirwa, F., Gahakwa, D., . . . Smith, J. (2015). The draft genome sequence of Xanthomonas species strain Nyagatare, isolated from diseased bean in Rwanda, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2015, Vol. 362, No. 4 pp. 1-4 is available online at: http://femsle.oxfordjournals.org/content/362/4/1.1.exploreWe announce the genome sequence for Xanthomonas species strain Nyagatare, isolated from beans showing unusual disease symptoms in Rwanda. This strain represents the first sequenced genome belonging to an as-yet undescribed Xanthomonas species known as species-level clade 1. It has at least 100 kb of genomic sequence that shows little or no sequence similarity to other xanthomonads, including a unique lipopolysaccharide synthesis gene cluster. At least one genomic region appears to have been acquired from relatives of Agrobacterium or Rhizobium species. The genome encodes homologues of only three known type-three secretion system effectors: AvrBs2, XopF1 and AvrXv4. Availability of the genome sequence will facilitate development of molecular tools for detection and diagnostics for this newly discovered pathogen of beans and facilitate epidemiological investigations of a potential causal link between this pathogen and the disease outbreak.Canadian International Development AgencyBBSRC SCPRI

Rwanda Nutrition, Markets and Gender Analysis 2015: An integrated approach towards alleviating malnutrition among vulnerable populations in Rwanda

The Nutrition, Markets and Gender (NMG) Survey was conducted in Rwanda to investigate the causes of malnutrition in children under 24 months. The NMG Survey was informed by the 2010 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) for Rwanda that gave some insight into the knowledge and trend of malnutrition in the country for the period 2005 to 2010. The DHS results indicated a 6 percent decline in stunting among children under the age of five years. The key findings from the 2014/2015 DHS that followed the same delineation as the DHS 2010 provided the most current status of malnutrition in Rwanda and showed further overall improvements in child growth outcomes with 37.9 percent of children under five years classified as stunted. These results again indicated a 6.3 percent decline in stunting among children under the age of five years for the period 2010 to 2015. This progressive trend is a testament to the country’s commitments to prioritise nutrition issues and nutrition programmes in its development agenda. The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Health, has prioritised malaria control, nutrition education, and better public healthcare. However, in spite of the advancements made, the consensus is that high rates of chronic malnutrition among children still prevail. Thus a better understanding of risk factors that contribute to child malnutrition at the household level in Rwanda was needed to strengthen the fight against malnutrition in the country. The ‘Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability and Nutrition Analysis’ – CFSVA 2012 – report produced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) acknowledged that vulnerable households are increasingly reliant on markets as a source of food; providing on average 65 percent of the food consumed by a household. It is therefore clear that household nutrition outcomes in such households are dependent on markets. In addition, it is widely accepted that gender dynamics influence decision-making in the household. Thus gender dynamics affect decisions related to food, care, markets, and health. Therefore this survey focused on nutrition, markets, and gender to determine the factors that influence the nutrition status of children under 24 months. Moreover, a disconnect between agricultural production and nutrition outcomes was revealed in the CFSVA 2012 report that indicated that the northern agricultural zones, considered the bread basket of the country, had stunting rates of up to 66 percent in children under 60 months

SURVEY OF PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES AND DISEASE SEVERITY OF COMMON BEAN LINES EVALUATED FOR REACTION TO ROOT KNOT NEMATODES INFESTATION

Plant parasitic nematodes are important pests in crop production in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to identify the occurrence of nematodes associated with common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and evaluate breeding lines for their reaction to Meloidogyne spp. in Ghana. Common bean rhizosphere soil was sampled and processed using Modified Baermann Tray method. Five nematode genera, namely Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus , Rotylenchulus , Helicotylenchus and Trichodorus were extracted. The first four genera listed above were prevalent across locations, with Trichodorus present in 30% of the fields sampled. The highest nematode population density of 319 juveniles per 200 cubic centimeter of soil was recorded for Meloidogyne spp. compared to 45 juveniles per 200 cubic centimeter, for Trichodorus. Twelve breeding lines were evaluated by inoculating roots of two-weeks-old plants with 2000 infective-stage juveniles of Meloidogyne sp. Reactions of test lines to Meloidogyne sp. infection were assessed by determining the number of egg masses and galling index (GI) on roots. Reproduction index (RI) was used to classify test lines as resistant or susceptible. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the number of eggs, GI and RI among lines tested. No resistant line was identified; however, lines SEF 47, BFS 35 and BFS 60 were moderately resistant, with RI of 13.1, 17.4 and 23.7%, respectively. Line SEF 60, although classified as slightly resistant, recorded a 100 seed weight of 26.0 g, which was 60% higher than line SEF 53 with seed weight of 16.2 g. Moderately resistant common bean lines identified could be used in common bean improvement programmes to develop elite cultivars tolerant to root knot nematodes.Les n\ue9matodes phytoparasites sont des ravageurs importants dans la production agricole. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019identifier la pr\ue9sence de n\ue9matodes associ\ue9s au haricot commun (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) et d\u2019\ue9valuer les lign\ue9es g\ue9n\ue9alogiques pour leur r\ue9action \ue0 Meloidogyne spp. au Ghana. Le sol de la rhizosph\ue8re du haricot commun a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9chantillonn\ue9 et trait\ue9 \ue0 l\u2019aide de la m\ue9thode du plateau de Baermann modifi\ue9. Cinq genres de n\ue9matodes, \ue0 savoir Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Rotylenchulus, Helicotylenchus et Trichodorus ont \ue9t\ue9 extraits. Les quatre premiers genres \ue9num\ue9r\ue9s ci-dessus \ue9taient r\ue9pandus dans tous les emplacements, avec Trichodorus pr\ue9sent dans 30% des champs \ue9chantillonn\ue9s. La densit\ue9 de population de n\ue9matodes la plus \ue9lev\ue9e de 319 juv\ue9niles par 200/cm3 de sol a \ue9t\ue9 enregistr\ue9e pour Meloidogyne spp. contre 45 juv\ue9niles par 200/cm3 pour Trichodorus. Douze lign\ue9es ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9es en inoculant les racines de plantes \ue2g\ue9es de deux semaines avec 2000 juv\ue9niles au stade infectieux de Meloidogyne sp. R\ue9actions des lign\ue9es de test \ue0 Meloidogyne sp. l\u2019infection ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9es en d\ue9terminant le nombre de masse d\u2019\u153ufs et l\u2019indice de galle (IG) sur les racines. L\u2019indice de reproduction (RI) a \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9 pour classer les lign\ue9es de test comme r\ue9sistantes ou sensibles. Des diff\ue9rences significatives (P < 0,05) ont \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9es dans le nombre d\u2019\u153ufs, GI et RI parmi les lign\ue9es test\ue9es. Aucune lign\ue9e r\ue9sistante n\u2019a \ue9t\ue9 identifi\ue9e ; cependant, les lign\ue9es SEF 47, BFS 35 et BFS 60 \ue9taient mod\ue9r\ue9ment r\ue9sistantes, avec un RI de 13,1, 17,4 et 23,7 %, respectivement. La lign\ue9e SEF 60, bien que class\ue9e comme l\ue9g\ue8rement r\ue9sistante, a enregistr\ue9 un poids de 100 graines de 26,0 g, soit 60 % de plus que la lign\ue9e SEF 53 avec un poids de graines de 16,2 g. Les lign\ue9es de haricot commun mod\ue9r\ue9ment r\ue9sistantes identifi\ue9es pourraient \ueatre utilis\ue9es dans les programmes d\u2019am\ue9lioration du haricot commun pour d\ue9velopper des cultivars d\u2019\ue9lite tol\ue9rants aux n\ue9matodes \ue0 galles

Review of policies and frameworks on climate change, agriculture, food and nutrition security in Rwanda

Rwanda is a small landlocked country in East-Central Af-rica and one of the world’s most densely populated coun-tries. Average rainfall in Rwanda is around 1000 mm per annum, with the annual temperature ranging from 16°C to 21°C (Mikova et al. 2015). Climate variability and ex-treme events in Rwanda are among the most significant factors influencing annual crop production. Climate varia-bility and extreme event-related shocks like drought and flooding have become more frequent, significantly affecting crop production. The Eastern and South Eastern regions are most affected by prolonged drought, while the Northern and Western regions receive heavy rains usually causing severe erosion, flooding and landslides. Extreme floods in the Western province, for example, often lead to signifi-cant losses of agricultural produce, destroyed plantations, agro-ecosystems and valuable infrastructure (Mikova et al. 2015). Increased incidences of landslides in the North Western part of the country are also an example of the negative impact of climate change in Rwanda (RoR 2006)

Review of policies and frameworks on climate change, agriculture, food and nutrition security in Rwanda

Rwanda is a small landlocked country in East-Central Af-rica and one of the world’s most densely populated coun-tries. Average rainfall in Rwanda is around 1000 mm per annum, with the annual temperature ranging from 16°C to 21°C (Mikova et al. 2015). Climate variability and ex-treme events in Rwanda are among the most significant factors influencing annual crop production. Climate varia-bility and extreme event-related shocks like drought and flooding have become more frequent, significantly affecting crop production. The Eastern and South Eastern regions are most affected by prolonged drought, while the Northern and Western regions receive heavy rains usually causing severe erosion, flooding and landslides. Extreme floods in the Western province, for example, often lead to signifi-cant losses of agricultural produce, destroyed plantations, agro-ecosystems and valuable infrastructure (Mikova et al. 2015). Increased incidences of landslides in the North Western part of the country are also an example of the negative impact of climate change in Rwanda (RoR 2006)