Sweetpotato selection releases: Lessons learnt from Uganda

The National Sweetpotato Programme of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in Uganda released 14 sweetpotato cultivars between 1994 and 2005. Of the released cultivars, six have gained importance in local Ugandan markets and in export trade to Europe and two are being used as parental sources for high drymatter (>30%), sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) and nematode resistance in hybridization schemes, and in the genetic mapping work in joint international collaborative research. Two orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) cultivars, namely, Ejumula, and SPK004 (Kakamega), high in beta-carotene (the precursor for vitamin A) arespreading rapidly for combating widespread vitamin A deficiency in Uganda. The major steps leading to the release of Kakemega and Ejumula are used to illustrate the experience of the Ugandan sweetpotato breeding programme sustained activities for a decade, and lessons learnt are highlighted. The sustained breeding activitieshave led to a vibrant and robust program, increased international and south to south collaboration, increased partnership and alliances; shifted research focus from production to production per se and quality (nutrition), resulting into significant and relevant agricultural research. The lesson here is that it takes a long time to develop technologies, disseminate and commercialize them. It also requires commitment by the donor, government, scientists, farmers and other stakeholders for effective commercialization of the developed technologies

Jigsaw Recovery: The Spatio-temporalities of Alcohol Abuse and Recovery in a Non-interventionist, Peer-led Service

Research highlights that recovery from substance use is a process facilitated by relational factors, resources and therapeutic practices embedded in places conducive to recovery. However, the accessibility of such resources for those with complex needs, and the therapeutic potential of peer-led spaces needs contextualizing in both time and place. We examined the characteristics of a social space employing a noninterventionist peer-led approach for active alcohol users. Individuals prioritized the management of everyday life over recovery, especially abstinence. This space acted as a replacement “jigsaw”; interrupting the temporal, spatial and social aspects of active use. Flexible approaches allowing choice in recovery pathways appear significant for this population

Spatial dynamics of malaria transmission

The Ross-Macdonald model has exerted enormous influence over the study of malaria transmission dynamics and control, but it lacked features to describe parasite dispersal, travel, and other important aspects of heterogeneous transmission. Here, we present a patch-based differential equation modeling framework that extends the Ross-Macdonald model with sufficient skill and complexity to support planning, monitoring and evaluation for Plasmodium falciparum malaria control. We designed a generic interface for building structured, spatial models of malaria transmission based on a new algorithm for mosquito blood feeding. We developed new algorithms to simulate adult mosquito demography, dispersal, and egg laying in response to resource availability. The core dynamical components describing mosquito ecology and malaria transmission were decomposed, redesigned and reassembled into a modular framework. Structural elements in the framework—human population strata, patches, and aquatic habitats—interact through a flexible design that facilitates construction of ensembles of models with scalable complexity to support robust analytics for malaria policy and adaptive malaria control. We propose updated definitions for the human biting rate and entomological inoculation rates. We present new formulas to describe parasite dispersal and spatial dynamics under steady state conditions, including the human biting rates, parasite dispersal, the “vectorial capacity matrix,” a human transmitting capacity distribution matrix, and threshold conditions. An package that implements the framework, solves the differential equations, and computes spatial metrics for models developed in this framework has been developed. Development of the model and metrics have focused on malaria, but since the framework is modular, the same ideas and software can be applied to other mosquito-borne pathogen systems

Long-term storage of sweetpotato by small-scale farmers through improved post harvest technologies

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Release of two orange-fleshed sweetpotato cultivars, 'SPK004' ('Kakamega') and 'Ejumula', in Uganda

Two orange-fleshed landrace sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.)] cultivars named ‘SPK004’ (‘Kakamega’) and ‘Ejumula’ were approved for release by the Ugandan Plant Variety Release Committee in Apr. 2004 (Mwanga et al., 2004a). This is the third lot of sweetpotato cultivars to be officially released by the sweetpotato program in Uganda, the first two being released in 1995 and 1999 (Mwanga et al., 2003). ‘Ejumula’ and ‘SPK004’ are Ugandan and Kenyan landrace germplasm, respectively, selected from a batch of 25 orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) clones of different origins (Table 1). Both cultivars have good storage root shapes if grown in light soils, high dry matter content, and excellent consumer acceptance, especially among children and women. The cultivars have low to moderate levels of field resistance to sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) and Alternaria blight (Tables 2 and 3) and high storage root yields compared with the average national root yield of 4 t·ha-1 (International Potato Center, 1999). The release of these two cultivars provides consumers and farmers with high-quality sweetpotatoes of orange flesh for combating vitamin A deficiency in the country (Mwanga et al., 2004a, 2004b)

Sweetpotato Selection Releases: Lessons Learnt from Uganda

The National Sweetpotato Programme of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in Uganda released 14 sweetpotato cultivars between 1994 and 2005. Of the released cultivars, six have gained importance in local Ugandan markets and in export trade to Europe and two are being used as parental sources for high dry matter (>30%), sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) and nematode resistance in hybridization schemes, and in the genetic mapping work in joint international collaborative research. Two orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) cultivars, namely, Ejumula, and SPK004 (Kakamega), high in beta-carotene (the precursor for vitamin A) are spreading rapidly for combating widespread vitamin A deficiency in Uganda. The major steps leading to the release of Kakemega and Ejumula are used to illustrate the experience of the Ugandan sweetpotato breeding programme sustained activities for a decade, and lessons learnt are highlighted. The sustained breeding activities have led to a vibrant and robust program, increased international and south to south collaboration, increased partnership and alliances; shifted research focus from production to production per se and quality (nutrition), resulting into significant and relevant agricultural research. The lesson here is that it takes a long time to develop technologies, disseminate and commercialize them. It also requires commitment by the donor, government, scientists, farmers and other stakeholders for effective commercialization of the developed technologies.Le Programme National de la patate douce au sein de l'Organisation Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique en Ouganda (NARO) avait lancé 14 variétés entre 1994 et 2005. De ces variétés, six avaient été trouvées importantes dans les marchés locales de l'Ouganda ainsi qu'au niveau du commerce extérieur en Europe pendant que deux avaient été considérées comme substances indispensables au service des ressources familiales (> 30%), pour le virus de la maladie de la patate douce (VMPD) et la résistance de la nématode dans les plantes, au plan de l'hybridation et au travail de la cartographie génétique pour une recherche internationale collaborative. Les deux variétés de Patates Douce en Chair d'Orange (Ejumula) et SPK004 (Kakamega) sont riches en carotène bêta (précurseur de la vitamine A); celle-ci se répand rapidement pour combattre la propagation rapide de la déficience de la vitamine A en Ouganda. Les étapes principales conduisant au lancement de Kakamega et Ejumula sont utilisées pour illustrer l'expérience du programme ougandais pour la culture de la patate douce. Existant depuis une décennie de soutien, on recommande que des leçons soient apprises à partir de ses activités. Les activités du lancement de l'élevage avaient conduit à un programme vibrant et robuste, rehaussé la collaboration internationale et Sud- Sud; il avait aussi rehaussé le partenariat et les alliances; changé le centre de recherche de produit à produit par le « se » et la qualité (nutrition) qui résulte d'une recherche agricole significative et importante. Il faut cependant du temps et apprendre une leçon pour développer leurs technologies, les répandre et les commercialiser. Pour ce faire, l'engagement de la part du donateur, du Gouvernement, des scientistes, des agriculteurs et des partenaires pour la commercialisation effective des technologies avancées s'avère nécessaire