Participatory research approaches in the development of improved management practices in indigenous chickens production systems with smallholder farmers in Kenya

This thesis is concerned with development of improved management practices in indigenous chicken production systems in a research process that includes participatory approaches with smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in Kenya. The research process involved a wide range of activities that included on-station experiments, field surveys, stakeholder consultations in workshops, seminars and visits, and on-farm farmer participatory research to evaluate the effect of some improved management interventions on production performance of indigenous chickens. The participatory research was greatly informed from collective experiences and lessons of the previous activities. The on-station studies focused on hatching, growth and nutritional characteristics of the indigenous chickens. Four research publications from these studies are included in this thesis. Quantitative statistical analyses were applied and they involved use of growth models estimated with non-linear regressions for the growth characteristics, chi-square determinations to investigate differences among different reciprocal crosses of indigenous chickens and general linear models and covariance determination for the nutrition study. The on-station studies brought greater understanding of performance and production characteristics of indigenous chickens and the influence of management practices on these characteristics. The field surveys and stakeholder consultations helped in understanding the overarching issues affecting the productivity of the indigenous chickens systems and their place in the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. These activities created strong networking opportunities with stakeholders from a wide spectrum. The on-farm farmer participatory research involved selection of 200 farmers in five regions followed by training and introduction of interventions on improved management practices which included housing, vaccination, deworming and feed supplementation. Implementation and monitoring was mainly done by individual farmers continuously for close to one and half years. Six quarterly visits to the farms were made by the research team to monitor and provide support for on-going project activities. The data collected has been analysed for 5 consecutive 3-monthly periods. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyse the data collected involving treatment applications, production characteristics and flock demography characteristics. Out of the 200 farmers initially selected, 173 had records on treatment applications and flock demography characteristics while 127 farmers had records on production characteristics. The demographic analysis with a dissimilarity index of flock size produced 7 distinct farm groups from among the 173 farms. Two of these farm groups were represented in similar numbers in each of the five regions. The research process also involved a number of dissemination and communication strategies that have brought the process and project outcomes into the domain of accessibility by wider readership locally and globally. These include workshops, seminars, field visits and consultations, local and international conferences, electronic conferencing, publications and personal communication via emailing and conventional posting. A number of research and development proposals were also developed based on the knowledge and experiences gained from the research process. The thesis captures the research process activities and outcomes in 8 chapters which include in ascending order – introduction, theoretical concepts underpinning FPR, research methodology and process, on-station research output, FPR descriptive statistical analysis, FPR inferential statistical analysis on production characteristics, FPR demographic analysis and conclusions. Various research approaches both quantitative and qualitative have been applied in the research process indicating the possibilities and importance of combining both systems for greater understanding of issues being studied. In our case, participatory studies of the improved management of indigenous chickens indicates their potential importance as livelihood assets for poor people

Efficacy of cultural methods in the control of Rhizoctonia solani strains causing tomato damping off in Kenya

Rhizoctonia damping off of tomato caused by Rhizoctonia solani can be a serious problem in most intensive production environments. Recent increase in smallholder vegetable production of 0.5-3.0 ha in Kenya has resulted in build up of the pathogen to above economic threshold levels. There is no effective chemical control or resistant varieties. Use of soil fumigants such as methyl bromide in the control of Rhizoctonia and other soil borne pathogens is not sustainable due to their high costs, and toxicity to man and environment. Cultural methods such as soil amendments, mode of planting and influencing soil moisture levels either alone or in combination with other methods are among the most likely substitutes to use of toxic fumigants for control of soil borne pathogens in agriculture. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of cow manure application, transplanting, planting on raised beds and varying watering interval on Rhizoctonia damping off of tomato as measured by percent seedling survival at 5-30 days after planting (DAP), disease severity at 30 DAP, percent crop stand at 60 DAP and fruit yield at maturity. The study was conducted in a field artificially inoculated with pathogenic strains of Rhizoctonia solani isolated from infected tomato plants and Rhizosphere soil sampled from the major production regions of Kenya. The efficacy of the various cultural strategies both singly and in combination on the Rhizoctonia damping off management was compared with the conventional disease control involving chemical fumigation with metham sodium and two chemical seed dressers (pencycuron, thiram, imidacloprid) and (captafol) as the standard. Cow manure application and shorter watering interval when used singly or in combination with other cultural methods produced lower disease control and yield. Transplanting, planting on raised beds and medium irrigation interval when used singly or in combination with other cultural strategies produced good disease control resulting in higher yield that compared favorably with the conventional disease control involving soil fumigation and seed dressing. The various cultural disease control methods documented in this study can be used alone and in integration with other compatible Rhizoctonia damping off of tomato control strategies. Furthermore the promising non-chemical strategies may form part of the urgently sought for alternative to use of hazardous fumigants in agriculture and since they are not specific, there is low risk of resistant development over time.Key words: Cultural disease control, Rhizoctonia solani, tomat

Control of Bean Rust using Antibiotics Produced by Bacillus and Streptomyces species - Translocation and Persistence in Snap Beans

Antibiotic culture filtrates produced by Bacillus (CA5) and  Streptomyces spp. were tested for translocation and persistence when applied on snap beans inoculated with rust (Uromyces appendiculatus) in greenhouse pot experiments. The antibiotics were applied on the first trifoliate leaves and translocation was assessed as the number of rust pustules on non-treated leaflets or trifoliates while persistence was assessed as the number of rust pustules on rust infected plants at different times after antibiotic treatment. The treatments were replicated three times, each replicate consisting of a pot containing three plants. Antibiotics from both Bacillus and Streptomyceswere found to have up to 100% trans-lamina and leaflet-to-leaflet translocation but no significant trifoliate-totrifoliatetranslocation. The antibiotic culture filtrates also retained significant rust control for up to 10 days after application on the bean plant. However, no significant rust control was found on the plants after 16 days of treatment. The study indicated that the antibiotics produced by antagonistic Bacillus and Streptomyces species possess systemicactivity that can persist within the plant for over one week. These metabolites are potential bean rust control products that could be incorporated in integrated disease management program

Refugees\u27 perceptions of primary care: What makes a good doctor\u27s visit?

Redesigning primary care is a national priority, as the United States (US) struggles with issues of poor access, high cost, and suboptimal quality. Refugees are among the populations who suffer from America’s disjointed health care system, resulting in disproportionate health disparities. Although there are many studies on refugee health, few share refugees\u27 perceptions of primary care. We asked local refugees who were seen for primary care services at a midwestern academic nurse-led clinic, what makes a good doctor\u27s visit?  The clinic served as the hub of a federally funded refugee Community Centered Health Home (CCHH) pilot project. This qualitative study adds to the growing body of literature that captures the voices of resettled refugees as they reflect on their health care experiences in their new home. The purpose of this study was to elicit the criteria refugees used to evaluate the quality of their care. Individual interviews were conducted with seven refugees as part of the larger CCHH pilot project. Through qualitative thematic analysis, four themes were identified that participants considered aspects of a good visit : 1.  The ability to communicate without language barriers; 2. Open reciprocal dialogue with providers; 3. Provider professionalism; and 4. Accurate diagnosis and treatment. We offer recommendations to improve patient experience in the refugee population which may lead to better health outcomes. Future study is proposed to gain knowledge of how refugee perceptions of quality of care may change over time as they become more familiar with US health care system. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

The population structure of wild sorghum species in agro-ecological zones of Western Kenya

There is need to understand the genetic structure of wild sorghums that grow alongside cultivated traditional sorghum varieties in order to assess the potential effect of crop genes in wild populations. In this study, 175 wild sorghum samples were collected from 13 agroecological zones (AEZs) from three counties in Western Kenya and genotyped using microsattelite markers. Crop alleles were observed in wild sorghum populations. The range of allelic frequencies varied from low (˂0.4), to moderate (0.4-0.7) and to high (0.7) in the AEZs. Wild sorghum populations had moderate to high expected heterozygosity (HE) values of between 0.453 in LM1 to 0.715 in LM2. Differences in the magnitude of diversity was significant in the counties (Busia HE = 0.59 – 0.71; Homabay HE = 0.58-0.68 and Siaya HE = 0.45-0.59) but not distinct among the AEZs. Whole population FIS, FST and FIT values were low at 0.15, 0.16 and 0.29, respectively indicating low level of inbreeding, low genetic differentiation of the population and low to moderate deviation from Hardy–Weinberg (HW) equilibrium respectively. The deviation from HW equilibrium was significant in some wild populations from Siaya and Busia. Intra-population diversity (HS) was larger than inter-population diversity (DST) in 13 populations from the sampled AEZs, indicating the importance of gene flow between populations of wild sorghums. Heterozygosity values under mutation drift equilibrium (HEQ) varied under infinite allele model (IAM), two–phase model (TPM) and the step wise mutation model (SMM). However, significant population bottlenecks were absent in the wild sorghums. Presence of significant geographic county clusters and lack of significance on AEZ clusters indicate that human activities have had more influence on the distribution and diversity of wild sorghums than the prevailing climatic conditions. Efforts towards physical and genetic containment of crops genes need to be enhanced for successful ecologically sensitive confined field trials and future adoption of transgenics in cropping systems.Keywords: Diversity, Sorghum bicolor, Sorghum halepense, Sorghum sudanense, microsatellite loci.Abbreviation: AEZ, Agro-ecological zone; DST, inter-population gene diversity; FIS, fixation index; FIT, index of deviation from HW equilibrium; FST, degree of population differentiation; GST, proportion of inter-population gene diversity; HE, expected heterozygosity; HEQ, heterozygosity values under mutation drift equilibrium; HO, observed heterozygosity; HT, total gene diversity; IAM, infinite allele model; SMM, stepwise mutation model; TPM, two-phase model; LM, lower Midlands; UM, upper midlands; HB, Homabay; SY, Siaya; BU, Busia counties; SSR, simple sequence repeats

Effects of postharvest handling practices on quality of groundnuts and aflatoxin contamination

The increased cases of aflatoxin contamination are exacerbated by poor post-harvest management practices, coupled with adverse climatic conditions at harvest and post-harvest stages. This study therefore was carried out to improve safety and quality of groundnuts from aflatoxin contamination, through use of proper postharvest handling practices. Specifically the study determined the effects of harvesting dates and drying methods on aflatoxin contamination. Field experiments were carried out both at Chitedze and Chitala Agricultural Research Stations in Malawi during 2017/2018 growing season. A randomized complete block design in a split plot arrangement with three harvesting dates as the main plot and four drying methods as the sub-plots replicated three times was used. Groundnut was assessed for kernel infection by Aspergillus flavus, and level of aflatoxin contamination. Significantly low levels of about 0.5μg/ Kg of A. flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination were observed at 90 days after sowing (DAS). Higher aflatoxin contamination of up to 5μg/ Kg was observed at 80 DAS, and 10 days late after physiological maturity (100 DAS). This study also identified Mandela cock, aframe drying rack as effective drying method that can reduce aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts by 75 %. Moreover, Mandela cock drying method was shown as the most effective compared to A-frame and drying rack drying method. Current study therefore recommends for adoption of timely harvesting at physiological maturity, and drying using either Mandela cock or A-frame and drying rack. Further studies need to be carried on biological control of aflatoxin contamination

Control of Bean Rust using Antibiotics Produced by Bacillus and Streptomyces species - Translocation and Persistence in Snap Beans

Antibiotic culture filtrates produced by Bacillus (CA5) and Streptomyces spp. were tested for translocation and persistence when applied on snap beans inoculated with rust ( Uromyces appendiculatus ) in greenhouse pot experiments. The antibiotics were applied on the first trifoliate leaves and translocation was assessed as the number of rust pustules on non-treated leaflets or trifoliates while persistence was assessed as the number of rust pustules on rust infected plants at different times after antibiotic treatment. The treatments were replicated three times, each replicate consisting of a pot containing three plants. Antibiotics from both Bacillus and Streptomyces were found to have up to 100% trans-lamina and leaflet-to-leaflet translocation but no significant trifoliate-totrifoliate translocation. The antibiotic culture filtrates also retained significant rust control for up to 10 days after application on the bean plant. However, no significant rust control was found on the plants after 16 days of treatment. The study indicated that the antibiotics produced by antagonistic Bacillus and Streptomyces species possess systemic activity that can persist within the plant for over one week. These metabolites are potential bean rust control products that could be incorporated in integrated disease management program

Improving Drought Tolerance in Sorghum bicolor L. Moench: Marker-Assisted Transfer of the Stay-Green Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) from a Characterized Donor Source into a Local Farmer Variety

Drought stress is a major constraint to sorghum production in Kenya, especially during flowering stage. This study aimed at developing drought tolerant sorghum varieties by transferring the stay green trait that confers drought tolerance in sorghum from a mapped and characterized donor source into an adapted farmer preferred variety. The drought tolerance donor source, E36-1 originally from Ethiopia was backcrossed into a Kenyan farmer-preferred variety, Ochuti until BC2F1 generation and the stay-green Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) were transferred through Marker Assisted Breeding (MAB) strategy. Five polymorphic Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers were used to select the 3 stay green QTL of E36-1 found in SBI-01, SBI-07 and SBI-10 linkage groups. In the F1 generation, two of these QTL, were transferred into three genotypes. In the BC1F1 generation, 32 genotypes had at least one QTL incorporated. From a population of 157 BC2F1 progenies, 45 genotypes had incorporated either one or two of the stay-green QTL. Despite a few number of genotypes obtained through the backcrosses, the results showed that stay-green QTL and consequently drought tolerance can be transferred successfully into farmer preferred sorghum varieties through MAB

Molecular characterization of ' Candidatus Liberibacter' species/strains causing huanglongbing disease of citrus in Kenya

This study was undertaken to characterize the alpha subgroup of the proteobacteria causing the huanglongbing (HLB) disease of citrus from three different ecological zones of Kenya namely the Lower highlands (LH2, LH3, 1800-1900 m above sea level); Upper midlands (UM3, UM4, 1390-1475m), Lower midlands (LM5, LM4, LM3 of 1290-1340-1390m), by isolation and sequencing DNA encoding the L10 and L12 ribosomal proteins and the intergenic region. A 7I6-basepair DNA fragment was amplified and sequenced and consisted of 536 basepairs of DNA encoding the L10 protein, 44 basepairs of DNA intergenic region and 136 basepairs of DNA that partially encodes the L12 protein. Sequences of rpL10/L12 protein genes from Kenyan strains were 98% and 81% similar to the South African ' Candidatus Liberibacter africanus strain Nelspruit' and the Asian 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' strains, respectively. The intergenic rDNA sequence of Kenyan strain from UM and LM showed 84% similarity with 'Candidatus L. africanus strain Nelspruit' and 50% similarity with 'Candidatus L. asiaticus' strain. However, the LH strain had an 11- basepairs deletion, while the LM4 had a 5- basepair deletion in the intergenic region compared to 'Candidatus L. africanus strain Nelspruit'. The L10 amino acid sequence was 100% homologous among HLB bacteria obtained from the agro-ecological zones in Kenya and the L10 protein sequence was also homologus to 'Candidatus L. africanus strain Nelspruit'. Nevertheless, the L10 amino acid sequence of 'Candidatus L. asiaticus' and the 'Candidatus L. africanus subsp. capensis' differed from the Kenyan strains by 18.36% and 11.82%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of both the L10/L12 rDNA sequences and the L10 amino acid sequences clustered the Kenyan strains of the 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species with members of alpha subdivision of proteobacteria

Effect of Immobilizing Bacillus megaterium on the Compressive Strength and Water Absorption of Mortar

The world’s growing population and industrialization have led to increased construction activities. This has increased the amount of waste aggregates which can be recycled in construction and cut the cost of infrastructure development. This study, therefore, reports the experimental findings for the effect of immobilizing Bacillus megaterium on the compressive strength and water absorption of laboratory prepared test mortar. Bacterial solution used in this work had a concentration of 1.0 × 107 cells/mL. The impact of recycled mortar impregnated with bacteria was studied after curing the specimens in water, saturated lime water, and 1.5% sulfuric acid. Compressive strength for test specimens cured in the three media was determined at the 2nd, 7th, 28th, and 56th day of curing. SEM analysis was done for mortars cured in acidic media and saturated lime water after curing for 28 days. The test results indicated that curing in water and saturated water improved the compressive strength, while the acidic medium lowered it. Recycled mortar is, therefore, an ideal material for immobilizing Bacillus megaterium before introduction into fresh concrete/mortar. The use of recycled mortar is a good strategy to reduce wastes from construction activities, save on the cost of construction materials, and enhance environmental conservation