Assessment of genetic variability among groundnut accessions under natural rosette disease infestation in Malawi

Groundnut production in East and South African region is low due to several constraints. Success in development of resilient varieties rides on genetic diversity in available germplasm for key traits in question. This study was undertaken to dissect the magnitude of variability among groundnut accessions. The experimental design was an alpha lattice design replicated thrice. Significant differences in yield traits were observed among the accessions. There was high phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficient of variation in most of the traits except for the number of primary branches and shelling percentage. A combination of high heritability and genetic advance was recorded for the number of secondary branches, height, seed yield and rosette incidence. This indicates that it is possible to carry out phenotypic selection based on the mean for successful improvement of yield and resistance to rosette disease

Phenotypic correlation, path coefficient and multivariate analysis for yield and yield-associated traits in groundnut accessions

Yield is a complex quantitative trait largely influenced by the environment. Direct selection for grain yield is less efficient in improving groundnut productivity. The selection efficiency can be enhanced by exploiting the relationship between yield and its related traits. Moreover, the use of genetically diverse parents is essential to generate genetic variation for successful selection of genotypes in a breeding program. Therefore, the study aimed at analysing the relationship between grain yield and its related traits and determining the morphological diversity among selected groundnut genotypes under natural rosette disease (GRD) infestation. The genotypes were evaluated in a 7 × 4 alpha lattice design with three replications. Data were collected on yield and yield-related traits. Correlation, path coefficient and multivariate analyses were done. The results revealed that yield was directly associated with plant height, number of pods per plant, hundred seed weight, GRD incidence and number of secondary branches. Therefore, these traits should be considered in selection when improving groundnut for yield. Cluster analysis revealed existence of diversity among the evaluated groundnut genotypes with no influence of geographical origin to the clustering pattern. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) biplot was effective in showing the genetic distance among the genotypes and the results were comparable with those of the cluster analysis. Moreover, Shannon-Weaver diversity indices revealed existence of high diversity among the genotypes, an implication that groundnut improvement for yield is possible through selection in breeding

Sustainable Poverty Alleviation From Coastal Ecosystem Services: Community Dialogue, 2016-2017

The broad objective of the project was to disseminate SPACES research results to the community and co-create findings and potential solutions, that were then to be shared with impact partners and local and regional initiatives in coastal Kenya. Meetings were held at 6 sites in Kenya, including Jimbo, Tsunza, Vanga, Shimoni, Mkwiro and Kongowea and 4 sites in Mozambique, including peri-urban sites of Ruela and Maringanha and rural sites of Vamizi and Lalane. The team conducted more intensive feedback meetings with organised gender-based small groups for 2 or 3 days, then had an extra day for the general community joint meeting bringing together all the small groups, village elders, leaders and relevant stakeholders which were successful.This project aims to better understand the links between ecosystem services (ES) and wellbeing in order to design and implement more effective interventions for poverty alleviation. We do this in the context of coastal, social-ecological systems in two poor African countries; Kenya and Mozambique. Despite recent policy and scientific interest in ES, there remain important knowledge gaps regarding how ecosystems actually contribute to wellbeing, and thus poverty alleviation. Following the ESPA framework, distinguishing ecological processes, 'final ES', 'capital inputs', 'goods' and 'values', this project is concerned with how these elements are interrelated to produce ES benefits, and focuses specifically on how these benefits are distributed to (potentially) benefit the poor, enhancing their wellbeing. We thus address the ESPA goal of understanding and promoting ways in which benefits to the poorest can be increased and more people can meet their basic needs, but we also identify conflicted tradeoffs, i.e. those which result in serious harm to either the ecosystem or poor people and which need urgent attention. Several fundamental questions are currently debated in international scientific and policy fora, relating to four major global trends which are likely to affect abilities of poor people to access ES benefits: (1) devolution of governance power and its impacts on local governance of ecosystems and production of ES, (2) unprecedented rates and scales of environmental change, particularly climate change, which are creating new vulnerabilities, opportunities and constraints, 'shifting baselines', and demanding radical changes in behaviour to cope, (3) market integration now reaches the most remote corners of the developing world, changing relationships between people and resources and motivations for natural resource management, (4) societal changes, including demographic, population, urbanisation and globalisation of culture, forge new relationships with ES and further decouple people from direct dependency on particular resources. Study sites have been chosen so as to gather empirical evidence to help answer key questions about how these four drivers of change affect abilities of poor people to benefit from ES. We aim for direct impact on the wellbeing of poor inhabitants of the rapidly transforming coastal areas in Mozambique and Kenya, where research will take place, while also providing indirect impact to coastal poor in other developing countries through our international impact strategy. Benefits from research findings will also accrue to multiple stakeholders at various levels. Local government, NGOs and civil society groups - through engagement with project activities, e.g. participation in workshops and exposure to new types of analysis and systems thinking. Donor organizations and development agencies - through research providing evidence to inform strategies to support sector development (e.g. fisheries, coastal planning and tourism development) and methods to understand and evaluate impacts of different development interventions - e.g. through tradeoff analysis and evaluation of the elasticities between ecosystem services and wellbeing. International scientific community - through dissemination of findings via conferences, scientific publications (open access), and from conceptual and theoretical development and new understandings of the multiple linkages between ecosystem services and wellbeing. Regional African scientists will benefit specifically through open courses offered within the scope of the project, and through dissemination of results at regional venues. Our strategies to deliver impact and benefits include (1) identifying 'windows of opportunity' within the context of ongoing coastal development processes to improve flows of benefits from ecosystems services to poor people, and (2) identifying and seeking to actively mitigate 'conflicted' tradeoffs in Kenya and Mozambique.</p