Developing Bt maize for resource-poor farmers – Recent advances in the IRMA project

This paper presents an overview of the advances in the IRMA project, which develops insect resistant maize varieties for resource-poor farmers, using both conventional breeding and genetic engineering. The project started in 1999 and is active in product development, impact assessment, andcommunication, all within the Kenya regulatory framework. So far, four application for introduction of tissue or commencement of field research were made to and approved by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC), and Bt maize leaves or seeds genes imported for testing against different stem borer species in bioassays on cut leaves in a biosafety laboratory, in potted plants in a Biosafety Greenhouse, and as whole plants in confined field trials in the Open Quarantine Station (OQS) at KARI Kiboko. All these biosafety facilities were specially built by the project for these evaluations. So far, good control has been realized against four of the five major stem borer species: Chilo partellus, Chilo orichalcociliellus, Eldana saccharina and Sesamia calamistis. Economic  impact assessment demonstrated that stem borers are major constraints and cause substantial losses. Resistant maizevarieties are likely to be adopted and to provide major returns to the investment if resistance against the economically most important species, Busseola fusca, can be found. Otherwise, returns would still be positive but small. Environmental impact research indicate that build-up of resistance against the Bt genes has not developed after that sufficient natural refugia exist in most areas, but suitable strategies acceptable to farmers need to be developed for some. Surveys, stakeholders meetings and other communications indicate that farmers, consumers and other stakeholders are cautiously optimistic about technology. Frequent interaction with the stakeholders and regulatory agencies assures a participative decision-making process and compliance with the strictest scientific and regulatorystandards

Neuromarketing empirical approaches and food choice: A systematic review

Consumers' food choices are often driven by reasons of which consumers are not fully aware. Decision-making about food is influenced by a complex set of emotions, feelings, attitudes, and values that are impossible to assess simply by asking consumers their opinions. Indeed, traditional techniques, such as self-reports or interviews, mainly allow the measurement of conscious and rational reactions to a product or advertising. Recently, there has been a rapidly growing interest in the multidisciplinary field of “neuromarketing,” which takes advantage of neuroscientific techniques to study consumer behavior. This discipline applies neuroscientific methods and tools that allow the measurement of consumers' emotional and spontaneous reactions in a more objective and observable way. The aim of this paper is (a) to describe neuromarketing's underlying assumptions, techniques, and the advantages of this perspective, examining the scientific literature on the use of neuromarketing in food studies; and (b) to suggest best practices to apply this novel approach in the food marketing domain, with a specific focus on non-invasive methods. Finally, although the perception of nutritional elements has already been explored, the health content of labels, the presence of additives, and the evaluation of the information conveyed by food packaging remain other possible elements of interest in future food neuromarketing research

Testing public Bt maize events for control of stem borers in the first confined field trials in Kenya

Transgenic maize (Zea mays L), developed using modified genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), controls stem borers without observable negative effects to humans, livestock or the environment, and is now sown on 134 million hectares globally. Bt maize could contribute to increasing maize production in Kenya. Nine public Bt maize events of cry1Ab and cry1Ba genes were tested in confined field trials site (CFTs) to assess the control of four major Kenyan stem borer species. Leaf damage rating, number of exit holes and tunnel length were scored in the field evaluations. Leaf area consumed and mortality rates among stem borers were scored in the leaf bioassays in a Biosafety Level II laboratory, located at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL). Field evaluations showed that Bt maize controlled Chilo partellus with mean damage scores of 1.2 against 2.7 for the non-Bt CML216 control. Laboratory bioassays showed high control for Eldana saccharina and Sesamia calamistis, with mean larval mortality of 64 and 92%, respectively. However, substantial control was not observed for Busseola fusca. These results showed that Bt maize could control three of the four major stem borers in Kenya with mortality records of 52.7% for B. fusca, 62.3% for E. saccharina and 85.8% for S. calamistis. Additional Bt genes need to be sought and tested for effective stem borer control in all maize growing ecologies in Kenya.Key words: Maize, Bt, stem borers, confined field trials

Computational Models Development and Demand Response Application for Smart Grids

This paper focuses on computational models development and its applications on demand response, within smart grid scope. A prosumer model is presented and the corresponding economic dispatch problem solution is analyzed. The prosumer solar radiation production and energy consumption are forecasted by artificial neural networks. The existing demand response models are studied and a computational tool based on fuzzy clustering algorithm is developed and the results discussed. Consumer energy management applications within the InovGrid pilot project are presented. Computation systems are developed for the acquisition, monitoring, control and supervision of consumption data provided by smart meters, allowing the incorporation of consumer actions on their electrical energy management. An energy management system with integration of smart meters for energy consumers in a smart grid is developed

Natural Enemies Associated with Arthropod Pests of Pigeonpea in Eastern Africa

Common arthropod pests and beneficial species were surveyed on pigeon peas in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, during 1995-96. Three pest groups were found: pod-boring Lepidoptera (Helicoverpa armigera, Maruca vitrata and Etiella zinckenella), pod-sucking bugs (mainly Clavigralla tomentosicollis) and pod fly (Melanagromyza chalcosoma). Natural enemies included Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera and were found more frequently in Kenya than in the other countries

Brazil and the development of international scientific biosafety testing guidelines for transgenic crops.

Under the umbrella of the International Organisation of Biological Control (IOBC), an international working group of public sector scientists entitled on Transgenic Organisms in Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control has been organized. The group will develop scientific principles and detailed scientific guidelines for biosafety testing of transgenic crops. The key elements of this project are: (1) An international initiative including expert scientists from leading research institutions in developed and developing countries; (2) coordination of the development and implementation of the guidelines as a dynamic process, which will include scientific and technical capacity building and communication among scientists and between scientists and policy makers; (3) rapid serial publication of sections of the guidelines as they are completed; and (4) rapid and timely revision of previously published sections. The guidelines will be constructed on a case-by-case basis and will have no regulatory legitimacy themselves

Testing public Bt maize events for control of stem borers in the first confined field trials in Kenya

Transgenic maize (Zea mays L), developed using modified genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), controls stem borers without observable negative effects to humans, livestock or the environment, and is now sown on 134 million hectares globally. Bt maize could contribute to increasing maize production in Kenya. Nine public Bt maize events of cry1Ab and cry1Ba genes were tested in confined field trials site (CFTs) to assess the control of four major Kenyan stem borer species. Leaf damage rating, number of exit holes and tunnel length were scored in the field evaluations. Leaf area consumed and mortality rates among stem borers were scored in the leaf bioassays in a Biosafety Level II laboratory, located at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL). Field evaluations showed that Bt maize controlled Chilo partellus with mean damage scores of 1.2 against 2.7 for the non-Bt CML216 control. Laboratory bioassays showed high control for Eldana saccharina and Sesamia calamistis, with mean larval mortality of 64 and 92%, respectively. However, substantial control was not observed for Busseola fusca. These results showed that Bt maize could control three of the four major stem borers in Kenya with mortality records of 52.7% for B. fusca, 62.3% for E. saccharina and 85.8% for S. calamistis. Additional Bt genes need to be sought and tested for effective stem borer control in all maize growing ecologies in Kenya

Studies of pigeonpea insect pests and their management in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda

Systematic surveys were conducted in farmers= fields in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda to determine the incidence, distribution and damage levels due to insect pests of pigeonpea seeds. Three surveys were conducted in eastern Kenya, one in 1992 and two in 1995. Two surveys, one per country per year - were conducted in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda in 1995 and 1996. Key insect pests were pod sucking bugs (dominated by Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stal), pod and seed boring Lepidoptera (Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, Maruca vitrata (= testulalis) Geyer, Etiella zinkenella Treitschke), and pod fly (Melanagromyza chalcosoma Spencer). Seed damage due to insect pests were 22, 15, 14, and 16% in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, respectively. Damage levels indicated that pod sucking bugs were more damaging in Malawi (caused 69% of total seed damage) and Kenya (43%), while pod borers caused more damage in Tanzania (50%) and Uganda (54%). Pod fly caused more damage in Kenya than in the other countries. Pod borer damage was high in early maturing crops and pod fly in late maturing crops, while pod sucking bugs damage was high regardless of crop maturity period. Greater variations in seed damage were observed between locations in Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania than in Uganda. Warm and dry locations had less seed damage than warm and humid, cool and dry, or cool and humid locations in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. None of the farmers visited in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda used conventional pesticides on pigeonpea in the field. Over 80% of these farmers used traditional methods in storage pest management. In contrast, 35 and 53% of farmers in Kenya had used conventional pesticides on long-duration pigeonpea genotypes in their fields

Genic SNP markers and legume synteny reveal candidate genes underlying QTL for Macrophomina phaseolina resistance and maturity in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.]

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Macrophomina phaseolina </it>is an emerging and devastating fungal pathogen that causes significant losses in crop production under high temperatures and drought stress. An increasing number of disease incidence reports highlight the wide prevalence of the pathogen around the world and its contribution toward crop yield suppression. In cowpea [<it>Vigna unguiculata </it>(L) Walp.], limited sources of low-level host resistance have been identified, the genetic basis of which is unknown. In this study we report on the identification of strong sources of host resistance to <it>M. phaseolina </it>and the genetic mapping of putative resistance loci on a cowpea genetic map comprised of gene-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine quantitative trait loci (QTLs), accounting for between 6.1 and 40.0% of the phenotypic variance (R²), were identified using plant mortality data taken over three years in field experiments and disease severity scores taken from two greenhouse experiments. Based on annotated genic SNPs as well as synteny with soybean (<it>Glycine max</it>) and <it>Medicago truncatula</it>, candidate resistance genes were found within mapped QTL intervals. QTL <it>Mac-2 </it>explained the largest percent R²and was identified in three field and one greenhouse experiments where the QTL peak co-located with a SNP marker derived from a pectin esterase inhibitor encoding gene. Maturity effects on the expression of resistance were indicated by the co-location of <it>Mac-6 </it>and <it>Mac-7 </it>QTLs with maturity-related senescence QTLs <it>Mat-2 </it>and <it>Mat-1</it>, respectively. Homologs of the <it>ELF4 </it>and <it>FLK </it>flowering genes were found in corresponding syntenic soybean regions. Only three <it>Macrophomina </it>resistance QTLs co-located with delayed drought-induced premature senescence QTLs previously mapped in the same population, suggesting that largely different genetic mechanisms mediate cowpea response to drought stress and <it>Macrophomina </it>infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Effective sources of host resistance were identified in this study. QTL mapping and synteny analysis identified genomic loci harboring resistance factors and revealed candidate genes with potential for further functional genomics analysis.</p

Multiple evolutionary origins of Trypanosoma evansi in Kenya

Trypanosoma evansi is the parasite causing surra, a form of trypanosomiasis in camels and other livestock, and a serious economic burden in Kenya and many other parts of the world. Trypanosoma evansi transmission can be sustained mechanically by tabanid and Stomoxys biting flies, whereas the closely related African trypanosomes T. brucei brucei and T. b. rhodesiense require cyclical development in tsetse flies (genus Glossina) for transmission. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary origins of T. evansi. We used 15 polymorphic microsatellites to quantify levels and patterns of genetic diversity among 41 T. evansi isolates and 66 isolates of T. b. brucei (n = 51) and T. b. rhodesiense (n = 15), including many from Kenya, a region where T. evansi may have evolved from T. brucei. We found that T. evansi strains belong to at least two distinct T. brucei genetic units and contain genetic diversity that is similar to that in T. brucei strains. Results indicated that the 41 T. evansi isolates originated from multiple T. brucei strains from different genetic backgrounds, implying independent origins of T. evansi from T. brucei strains. This surprising finding further suggested that the acquisition of the ability of T. evansi to be transmitted mechanically, and thus the ability to escape the obligate link with the African tsetse fly vector, has occurred repeatedly. These findings, if confirmed, have epidemiological implications, as T. brucei strains from different genetic backgrounds can become either causative agents of a dangerous, cosmopolitan livestock disease or of a lethal human disease, like for T. b. rhodesiense