Variability, heritability and correlations among morphological traits in finger millet (eleusine coracana (l.) Gaertn.)

Three hundred and twenty two finger millet (Eleusine coracanu (L.) Gaertn.) germplasm accessions collected from Zimbabwe were evaluated at Aisleby and Henderson during the 1988/89 and 1989/90 rainy seasons. The data were recorded on grain yield and nine morphological traits to study the genetic variability and the heritability for each trait as well as the genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits. Differences between finger millet accessions for grain yield, finger length, finger width, number of fingers per head, 1000 grain weight and threshing percentage were significant at both locations, while differences in finger yield and number of productive tillers per plant were significant only at Aisleby. Number of days to flowering and plant height were recorded only at Aisleby and the differences among accessions were significant. Heritability in the broad sense for days to flowering was high (0.60). those for finger length. threshing percentage and 1000 grain weight were moderate (0.2 1 to 0.46), whereas the estimates were low (0.0 I to 0.29) for the rest of the traits. The correlation coefficients indicated that grain yield can be increased by selecting for high threshing percentage, high grain weight, early flowering and high finger yield

Combining ability and heterosis for diastatic activity in grain sorghum

Eighty-five sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) entries including 13 restorer-lines (lines), 5 maintainer-lines (testers), 65 F1 hybrids, and two controls, were grown at Muzarabani, Zimbabwe during the rainy seasons of 1986/87 and 1987/88 to study the combining ability and heterosis for diastatic activity. Grain samples were evaluated for diastatic activity, expressed in Sorghum Diastatic Units (SDU) per gram of malt, in 1989. Differences between sorghum lines, testers, hybrids, and total entries were significant for diastatic activity in both seasons. There were large differences in mean diastatic activity values and ranges for entries in both seasons. The mean SDU g-1 malt for hybrids varied from 20.5 to 67.2 for the 1986/87 season and 13.3 to 48.9 for the 1987/88 season. Variation in diastatic activity was primarily due to non-additive gene action. The highest positive general combining ability effects were observed for the line 4HA85S, and tester 120A. Significant positive specific combining ability effects were observed for hybrid 120A x D 38073-2. This was the only cross which had positive high parent heterosis in both seasons, but it was only significant in the 1987/88 season. Most of the crosses had negative high parent heterosis. To improve diastatic activity, recurrent selection procedures for specific combining ability should be used to develop elite parents for hybrid

Sorghum Ugali

Ugali (Kiswahili language) is a thick porridge popular in Eastern and Southern Africa and is prepared using flour from whole or dehulled grains. Traditional methods of ugali preparation and consumption are described. Ugali quality characteristics of 61 sorghum cultivars, including those of the International Sorghum Food Quality Trials, were evaluated by taste panels. It was observed that a light colored ugali with least tack~nessw as the most des~rable. In general, cultivars with corneous grains and high breaking strength produced ugali with the most desirable textllre and keeping quality

Combining ability and heterosis for diastatic activity in grain sorghum

ABSTRACT Eighty-five sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) entries including 13 restorer-lines (lines), 5 maintainer-lines (testers), 65 F1 hybrids, and two controls, were grown at Muzarabani, Zimbabwe during the rainy seasons of 1986/87 and 1987/88 to study the combining ability and heterosis for diastatic activity. Grain samples were evaluated for diastatic activity, expressed in Sorghum Diastatic Units (SDU) per gram of malt, in 1989. Differences between sorghum lines, testers, hybrids, and total entries were significant for diastatic activity in both seasons. There were large differences in mean diastatic activity values and ranges for entries in both seasons. The mean SDU g^-1 malt for hybrids varied from 20.5 to 67.2 for the 1986/87 season and 13.3 to 48.9 for the 1987/88 season. Variation in diastatic activity was primarily due to non-additive gene action. The highest positive general combining ability effects were observed for the line 4HA85S, and tester 120A. Significant positive specific combining ability effects were observed for hybrid 120A x D 38073-2. This was the only cross which had positive high parent heterosis in both seasons, but it was only significant in the 1987/88 season. Most of the crosses had negative high parent heterosis. To improve diastatic activity, recurrent selection procedures for specific combining ability should be used to develop elite parents for hybrids

Bambara groundnut, Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is an indigenous African crop that has been cultivated for centuries from Senegal to Kenya, and from the Sahara to South Africa and Madagascar. Despite its drought tolerant properties, bambara groundnut has largely been ignored by the scientific community being regarded as a poor man's crop. This workshop represents an effort to coordinate efforts across Africa aimed at the conservation of genetic resources of V. subterranea and its development as a crop. Following a brief introduction and a bibliographical review, country reports are presented from 11 African countries detailing production, genetic resources and potential for breeding. These are followed by 6 papers each in two sections on agronomy and genetic resources, the recommendations of working groups and a report on the establishment of the International Bambara Groundnut Network. Four appendices include the workshop programme, a list of participants, addresses of bambara groundnut researchers, and institutions maintaining collections. (Abstract © CAB ABSTRACTS, CAB International

“COMING TOGETHER” (Batanai): Learning from Zimbabwe’s experiences with community biodiversity conservation, participatory crop improvement and climate change adaptation

This brief presents the findings and lessons learned of a study tour by a team from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa to neighbouring Zimbabwe, to learn about the roles of Farmer Field Schools, functions and operations of community seedbanks and various forms of participatory crop improvement, promoted by the Community Technology Development Organisation of Zimbabwe

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

Plant–soil feedback responses of four dryland crop species under greenhouse conditions

Why this research Matters Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) give a mechanistic understanding on how soil properties established by previous plant species go on to influence the performance of the same or different species in monoculture, intercropping or crop rotation systems. We hypothesized that different dryland crops such as Zea mays L., Helianthus annuus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Glycine max L. (Merr.) will have soil legacies that are related to the crop type. We used a two‐phase experiment to test plant performance in soils previously cultivated with the same or different plant species under greenhouse conditions. The positive plant growth for all species in their own soil microbiota suggests that mutualists had a greater impact on plant performance than pathogens. The consistent positive soil–feedback results of P. vulgaris were strongly associated with their own beneficial soil microbiota, meaning that the conditioning phase legacy of mutualists and decomposers were more significant than pathogens under monoculture. Despite successful nodulation in sterilized and inoculated soils, G. max unexpectedly showed neutral and insignificant positive plant feedbacks, respectively. Helianthus annuus was superior to other crop species in creating active carbon stocks and an enzymatically active soil for the next crop. Microbial biomass results suggest that raising fungal relative to bacterial biomass can be achieved by increasing the frequency of H. annuus in rotation sequences. However, more studies are necessary to evaluate whether these elevated ratios promote or depress plant performance under field conditions. This study showed that relative to other dryland crops, H. annuus seems to have the potential of increasing fungal to bacterial ratios, raising legacies in active carbon stocks and soil microbial activity that may be crucial to successional planting in dryland systems