Resistance of maize varieties to the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

This study aimed at evaluating commonly used maize varieties, collected from Melkasa and Bako Agricultural Research Centers and Haramaya University, Ethiopia, against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Motsch., one of the most important cosmopolitan stored product pests in maize. A total of 13 improved maize varieties were screened for their relative susceptibility to S. zeamais. The Dobie index of susceptibility was used to group the varieties. The variety, ‘BHQP-542’, had the least index ofsusceptibility and was regarded as resistant. The varieties, ‘Katumani’, ‘Melkasa-I’, ‘Melkasa-II’, ‘Melkasa-III’, ‘Coree’, ‘BH-541’, ‘BH-660’, ‘BH-540’, ‘Rare-I’, ‘Awasa-511’, ‘ACV3’ and ‘ACV6’, were moderately resistant. Weevils fed with the resistant variety produced low numbers of F1 progeny, had a high median developmental time and a low percentage of seed damage and seed weight loss. Maize varieties with a high F1 progeny tended to have a short median developmental time. An increasingnumber of F1 progeny resulted in an increasing seed damage and seed weight loss. We found an inverse relationship between the susceptibility index and percent mortality and median developmental time; however, the numbers of F1 progeny, percent seed damage and seed weight loss were positively related with the susceptibility index. The use of resistant varieties should be promoted in managing S.zeamais in stored maize under subsistence farming conditions in Africa

Improving the nutritional status of malnourished children using soybean products in Rwanda

The prevalence of malnutrition is high in Rwanda especially in Ruhango District of Southern Province (23.5% in 2009). The contribution of soybean (Glycine max L), which is an important source of high quality and inexpensive protein and oil, to improvement of nutritional status of  malnourished children is unclear. Although a lot of research has been done on the production of soybean in Rwanda, research on soybean in the diet to improve the nutritional status of malnourished children has not been done. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of soybean flour and soybean milk on the nutritional status of malnourished children under the age of five. The objective was to determine the weight gain due to each treatment in comparison with the control group. This study was conducted in Ruhango District of Southern Province Rwanda. A survey was conducted where households growing and utilizing soybean were identified and  anthropometric measurements were taken on 294 children to select malnourished children. Thirty malnourished children participate in the intervention which lasted three months. One cup (250ml) of soybean milk was supplemented to ten children per day. An equal number was  supplemented with 25g of soybean flour in soup (250ml). The caregivers of the ten children in the control group received nutrition education together with the two treatment groups. Anthropometric measurements were taken every month and entered in WHO ANTHRO software. Data was analyzed by regression models using GenStat 14th edition and the magnitude of weight gain due to each of the treatments was predicted at 5% level of  significance. A linear mixed model was used to estimate and compareweight gain among children fed on soybean milk and soybean flour supplement in comparison with the control group. Soybean products were found to affect weight gain of children (P = 0.04). The mean weight gain was 0.9 (±0.5) kg within three months of intervention. The difference in weight gain between the two treatment groups was not significant. To improve the nutritional status of malnourished children under five years further intervention is needed in terms of education and training on soybean based diet formulation.Key words: soybean products, under five, Rwand

The effects of household food practices and diseases prevalence on nutritional status of under-five children in Ruhango District, Rwanda

Malnutrition in the Southern province of Rwanda is a significant public health concern. According to the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) 2010, chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years was widespread 44% children having stunting (insufficient height for age), 11 % underweight (weight for age) and 3% wasting (weight for height). Ruhango district (Southern Rwanda) had the highest malnutrition prevalence (23.5%) in 2009. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of malnutrition among Ruhango children in 2012 and to identify relationship between comorbidities occurrence, food intake and their nutrition status. A multistage sampling was done across four hierarchical levels: district, sector, cell and village, where households (N=294) with children under five years were purposively selected to form the sampling units in which the survey was conducted. The study showed that Ruhango has improved in prevention of malnutrition as compared to 2010 study. However, stunting was still a problem with those aged between 24 and 35 months being most affected. Wasting did not affect large population of the target group. Better educated household members had less malnourished kids (3%) than those who did not attend school (12%). Co-morbidities occurrence was significantly higher in malnourished children (P = 0.006). Acute Respiratory Tract Infection had the highest occurrence (52%). The children reported to have been sick had significantly lower weight than those who were normal (P<0.05). Food intake (mean dietary diversity of 25%) was not adequate for most households and only few people took protein of high quality like meat and milk. Household food practices were tested at 95% confidence interval and this affected the nutrition status of children (P = 0.02). In households with mean dietary diversity above four food groups, only 2.17 % of children were underweight as compared to 18.18% those from households with mean dietary diversity below three. Thus, interventions to eliminate malnutrition should focus on household food diversification and disease prevention.Key words: Prevalence, malnutrition, diseases, 24hr recall

Effects of Securities Behaviour on Performance of Nairobi Securities Exchange Indices

This study aimed at establishing the Influence of investor’s behaviour on the performance of Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) indices. A reliable security market index should assist investors in making investment decisions but this is not always the case: investors at times invest in stock whose performance is not reflected in the indices. This study was guided by specific objectives which included: to establish the Influence of momentum effect, financial contagion, white noise effect, Security Price Volatility, and Herding Effect (all as independent variables) on performance of NSE indices as the dependent variable. This study was anchored to finance theories such as random walk theory, rational bubbles theory, smart money and noise trader’s theory, price formation and discovery theory, and information disclosure theories. The study was based on a period of 12 years starting from January 2004 to December 2015. The population of this study comprised of all the market participants at the NSE and thus a census approach was adopted where study period was done based on each specific objective. This research relied on primary data. Primary data was collected from all the market participants. In data analysis, a significance level of 5% was used on all objectives and a multiple regression model on each objective was used. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used on primary data for analysis. The findings for primary data showed all the indices to be insignificantly influenced by the securities behaviour but the overall NSE indices performance was statistically affected. Hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The first hypothesis on momentum effect was not rejected on primary. The second hypothesis on financial contagion was rejected and.on the hypothesis of white noise effect, it was not rejected. The hypothesis of Security Price Volatility effect was not rejected while hypothesis of herding effect was rejected. It was concluded that all the indices play a complimentary role thus the need for the retention of all. NSE is highly contagious of the events that happen around it. The study recommends that future researchers should increase the respondents to also include investors. For the objective of momentum effect, the study recommends that more exchanges be included to get a finer detail. NSE and CMA should ensure that information availed to the researchers is obtained at minimal cost or for free to encourage more research into the security markets. Keywords: Momentum Effect, Financial Contagion, White Noise Effect, Share Price volality effect, Herding Effect and Nairobi Securities Exchange Indice

Influence of Momentum Effect on Stock Performance of Firms Listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange

This research article intended to establish the influence of momentum effect on stock performance of firms listed in Kenya. Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is the most robust securities market in Eastern and Central Africa and among the best performing in the African continent. Despite this, there is still a lot to be desired in terms of upholding the efficient market hypothesis. Stocks here do not always uphold this theory despite the fact that the NSE is among the few African exchanges that are not weak form efficient. This study looked at all the listed firms in the NSE for the period between January 2004 to December 2015. The research was based on the efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance theories. Descriptive research design was used and target population was all the listed firms in the NSE. Secondary data was used in the analysis where the researcher used market prices and risk free interest rates. These were obtained from the data vendors at the NSE and website of Central Bank of Kenya. Caharts four factor model was used in the analysis and hypothesis was tested using 0.05 level of significance. The researcher conducted diagnostic tests such as normality, linearilty and collinearity tests. Missing values in the data collected were corrected by the use of linear interpolation. The diagnostic tests showed that the data was good for analysis. Z test results showed that the momentum effect was statistically significant at 0.0165. The model was also statistically significant showing that the momentum effect influenced the returns for NSE at about 25.8%. the null hypothesis was therefore rejected. It was concluded that NSE stocks over the span of 12 years studied demonstrated momentum effect. Future researchers would be advised to study the momentum effect on a shorter span like 12 months where they are working with weekly prices. The researcher would also recommend future scholars to do a regional comparative study

Inadvertent presence of genetically modified elements in maize food products in Kenyan markets

Kenya has a biosafety law and has tested genetically modified (GM) maize under confinement and containment, but has neither released nor commercialized any GM crop. This study assessed various maize food products from the Kenyan farms and markets for the inadvertent presence of GMOs. It assessed the possibility of ‘gene-flow’ to the maize farms near the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kiboko where Bt maize was grown in confined field trials (CFT) during 2005 to 2006. The multistage sampling technique was used, while the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral-strip methods were used to analyze 120 food samples. Of these, 6.7% tested positive for cry1Ab, a globally commercialized gene, but were negative for cry1Ba, a non-commercialized gene. Neither cry1Ab nor cry1Ba genes were found in any of the maize certified seed samples. No ‘gene-flow’ was detected within the vicinity of the Kiboko CFT site. The maize imported into Kenya contained Bt genetic elements. Nevertheless, the confinement regulatory measures employed during the CFTs at Kiboko were effective. There is a need to enforce declaration of GM or non-GM and conduction of regulatory detection of food imports and for labelling of food products to enable consumers to make informed choices on what they buy and consume.Keywords: cry1Ab, cry1Ba, biosafety, GMOs, Bt maize.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(31), pp. 4881-489

Availability and Prices of Antimalarials and Staffing Levels in Health Facilities in Embu County, Kenya

Effective treatment of malaria relies on the availability of quality medicines while pricing is a major determinant of affordability. In addition, adequate numbers of competent staff of different cadres is essential for a well-functioning health system and effective health service delivery. The aim of the study was to determine the availability and prices of antimalarial medicines as well as staffing levels in healthcare facilities located in Embu County, Kenya. Antimalarials were sampled from 11 public (government owned) facilities, 29 private pharmacies, 5 private-for-profit and 3 not-for-profit mission health facilities in May-June 2014. The majority of public facilities (91%) had artemether-lumefantrine (AL) tablets in stock. Government and mission facilities did not stock second line antimalarials or sulfonamide-pyrimethamine (SP). All public facilities provided antimalarials free-of-charge to patients. Private pharmacies stocked a wider variety of antimalarials. The facilities studied were stocked with recommended antimalarials both in the private and public domains. No oral artemisinin monotherapies were encountered during the study. Only 45% percent of public facilities employed pharmacists. Of the remaining facilities, 27% employed pharmaceutical technologists while in the rest of the facilities pharmaceuticals were in the custody of nurses. Notably, none of the private-for-profit or mission facilities had pharmacists employed in their establishments; one facility employed a pharmaceutical technologist, while the rest were staffed by nurses. The number of private pharmacies superintended by pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists were 7 (24%) and 22 (76%), respectively.Key words: Antimalarials, artemisinin-based combination therapy, staffing level, Embu Count

Grain yield, stem borer and disease resistance of new maize hybrids in Kenya

Evaluation of 30 maize hybrids for yield and resistance to stem borers and foliar diseases in four agroecologies in Kenya was conducted in 2009. There were significant differences among the hybrids in leaf damage, number of exit holes, tunnel length and grain yield in Kiboko. The maize hybrids CKPH08014, CKPH08025, and CKPH08026 showed the least leaf damage, exit holes and tunnel length, similar to the resistant check. Although ten hybrids yielded over 8 t/ha, two hybrids, CKPH09001 and CKPH08033, gave the highest yield of 8.99 and 8.86 t/ha, respectively, in Kiboko. There were significant differences among the hybrids in resistance to leaf rust and maize streak virus in Kakamega. The intensity of foliar diseases was high in Kakamega compared to the other sites. All hybrids appeared resistant to the foliar diseases at Kakamega. On the average, the highest yield of the hybrids was recorded in Kiboko (7.5 t/ha) followed by Kakamega (6.1 t/ha), and the least at Embu (3.5 t/ha), and Mtwapa (3.14 t/ha). The performance of the hybrids varied from site to site, with CKPH09002 and CKPH09003 performing well at Mtwapa, CKPH09001 at Kiboko, CKPH08039 at Embu, CKPH 08002 and CKPH08010 at Kakamega.Key words: Host plant resistance, maize, pest management, stem borer, foliar disease

Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis CRY1A(c) d-endotoxin on growth, nodulation and productivity of beans [Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) and siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum DC.)]

The recent introduction of Bt maize and Bt cotton transgenic crops into Africa has raised concerns on their potential short and long-term ecological effects on the environment. The effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1A(c) d-endotoxin on the growth, nodulation and productivity of two leguminous plants grown in clay soil were evaluated. Bt Cry1A(c) d-endotoxin from a local B. thuringiensis isolate (ICIPE L1-2) active against Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) was used. Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum DC.) seedlings were grown in pots treated with Bt Cry1A(c) dendotoxin solution (100 ìg/ml). Control experiments were treated with water. The plants were maintained in the greenhouse until nodulation (8 weeks) and maturity (14 weeks) stages when sampling was done for measurements of morphological, productivity and nodulation traits. Nodulation was observed in both plants species. Nitrogen content in treatments for both bean and siratro plants, withand without Bt-toxin not were significantly different. Leaf area, plant dry weight, number of pods per plants and number of seeds per pod observed in treatments with and without Bt-toxin for both bean and siratro plants were also not significantly different. This shows that Bt Cry1A(c) delta-endotoxin does not interfere with the host plant growth, nodulation and productivity in clay soil. Findings will provide researchers with data to design more robust experiments and will inform the decisions of diversestakeholders regarding the safety of transgenic crops

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