ORGANIC FARMING AND SOCIAL CAPITAL APPROACH IN THE RESTORATION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL LIVELIHOODS IN A POST-CONFLICT SETTING: A CASE OF NORTHERN UGANDA

This report presents a discussion of how organic farming and social capital development can contribute towards the restoration of sustainable agricultural livelihoods in a post-conflict setting; with a case study of Northern Uganda. Strictly speaking, the paper goes beyond a simple exposition of the value of organic farming, but it attempts to explain the complex ways in which social capital relates with organic farming to revitalize sustainable agricultural systems, and how this can impact on the livelihoods of communities in a post-conflict situation, with respect to household food security and income

Climate-Smart \u3cem\u3eBrachiaria\u3c/em\u3e for Improving Livestock Production in East Africa: Emerging Opportunities

Brachiaria grass is an important tropical forage of African origin with desirable attributes of agricultural and environmental significance. Brachiaria has been extensively cultivated as a pasture across the tropics except in its endemic provenance of Africa. In 2013, a collaborative research program was initiated in Kenya and Rwanda with the aim of improving the availability of quality livestock feeds adapted to drought and low fertility soils using Brachiaria. The outcomes sought were increased livestock productivity leading to improved farmer income and the development of seed production opportunities. The program has identified five preferred cultivars, and four of them are currently being evaluated on-farm by over 2000 small-holder farmers in Kenya and Rwanda for livestock productivity. Preliminary milk production data has shown a 15 to 40% increase in milk production in Kenya and an average increase of 36% in Rwanda. The substitution of Napier grass by Brachiaria in the feed has increased average daily body weight gain of cattle by 205g during a 12 week period. Kenyan farmers reported increased on-farm forage availability by three months after Brachiaria introduction. The program has also worked to determine the role of endophytes and plant associated microbes for the improvement of biomass production and adaptation of Brachiaria to biotic and abiotic stresses. A diverse group of fungi and bacteria were isolated, identified and characterized, and the role of these microbes on plant growth and plant pathogen suppression is being investigated. This paper discusses the rationale for selecting Brachiaria as potential forage for eastern Africa and highlights current achievements, and identifies areas for future research

Engineered Jute Bags for Storing Food Grains within Harrington’s Safe Zone of Seed Moisture Content

Harrington’s thumb rule states that for every 1% increase in seed moisture content (SMC), seed lifetime decreases by 50%. Thus, to avoid post-harvest grain losses, stored seeds must be insulated from water. Although the jute bags typically used to store grains afford an ecofriendly, durable, and low-cost storage solution, their hydrophilic nature makes them vulnerable to wetting from airborne humidity and precipitation events. To address this issue, we treated jute fabrics with alkali and wax to render them water-repellent. A 2-month seed storage experiment revealed that wax-coated jute bags (WCJBs) outperformed control jute bags (CJBs) at safeguarding wheat (Triticum aestivum) grains exposed to 55%–98% relative humidity. Specifically, grains stored in WCJBs exhibited 15%–50% less SMC than grains stored in CJBs, which led to a 21%–66% enhancement in the germination efficacy of WCJB-stored seeds. This engineering solution could enhance the potential of jute bags to reduce post-harvest losses.</p

Replication Data for: Fungal endophyte association with Brachiaria grasses and its influence on plant water status, total non-structural carbohydrates and biomass production under drought stress

The purpose of the data was to gain an understanding of the effect of fungal endophyte on responses of selected Brachiaria cultivars under well-watered and drought conditions. The study was to answer the question as to whether symbiotic association of Brachiaria grasses with fungal endophyte (Acremonium implicatum synonym Sarocladium implicatum) improves plant growth and tolerance to drought stress. This was approached by measuring: • Plant water status, determining as leaf relative water contents (RWC) • Leaf dry matter contents (DMC) • Total non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) contents • Biomass The subject areas of the study involved plant-microbe interactions, plant physiology/biochemistry and plant ecolog

Fungal endophyte association with Brachiaria grasses and its influence on plant water status, total non-structural carbohydrates and biomass production under drought stress

Aims: The main aim was to evaluate the effect of endophytic association of Sarocladium implicatum on drought responses of Brachiaria grass cultivars under greenhouse conditions. We tested the hypothesis that endophyte association with Brachiaria improves tolerance to drought stress by maintaining plant water status and increasing dry matter content (DMC), total nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) contents and biomass. Methods: Five Brachiaria cultivars were grown in a greenhouse for 54 days, with (E+) and without (E-) endophyte under well-watered (WW) and droughts tressed (DS) conditions. Plant water status (measured as relative water content of leaf, RWC), leaf DMC, NSC contents and biomass were determined. Results: Endophyte association significantly increased leaf RWC but reduced DMC and biomass under DS. Endophyte reduced NSC contents under WW condition in one cultivar and reduced shoot, root and total biomass in another cultivar under DS. Effects of endophyte on response variables depended on cultivar and water regime, with significant interactions of these factors. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that endophyte association improves plant water status by increasing RWC under DS. However, endophyte-induced reduction in plant attributes like DMC, NSC and biomass presents metabolic costs to host plants which could negatively affect forage quality and yield

Effect of Endophyte Association with Brachiaria Species on Shoot and Root Morpho-physiological Responses under Drought Stress

A greenhouse experiment was conducted at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia to evaluate effects of the fungal endophyte, Acremonium implicatum, on growth and physiological responses of five Brachiaria cultivars. Plants were grown under well-watered (WW) and drought-stressed (DS) conditions, with (E+) and without (E-) endophyte; and their morpho-physiological responses were determined. Significant two-way and three-way interactions produced variable effects on leaf area, number of tillers, shoot elongation, shoot biomass, total root diameter, diameter of cortex, area of stele and diameter of xylem vessel. Main effect of endophyte significantly increased leaf stomatal conductance and reduced diameter of xylem. Smaller leaf area was found in endophyte-infected than control plants of three cultivars, both under WW and DS conditions, which indicates a cost of endophyte infection to the host cultivars. Large root diameter and area of stele under WW conditions, as well as small diameter of xylem vessels in some cultivars suggests that endophyte may improve efficiency for water uptake and use under different water regimes. Less Root Cortical Aerenchyma (RCA) was observed in endophyte-infected plants of Tully and Cayman than the control, which may influence plant capacity for resource acquisition in Brachiaria. Genotype-specific variation among hosts generally segregated the cultivars in terms of their shoot and root responses, based on presence (E+) or absence (E-) of endophyte. However, future studies should examine how association of A. implicatum with Brachiaria grass affects capacity for water uptake and carbon accumulation, and the role of RCA in these processes

Potential Role of Fungal Endophytes in Biological Nitrification Inhibition in Brachiaria Grass Species

Brachiaria species have the ability to suppress nitrification in soil by releasing an inhibitory compound called ‘brachialactone’ from its roots; a process termed biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). This study tested the hypothesis that endophytic association with Brachiaria grass improves BNI activity of root tissues and reduces nitrification in Brachiaria-cultivated soil. Four cultivars of Brachiaria [i.e., B. decumbens (Basilisk), B. humidicola (Tully), B. brizantha (Marandu)], and one hybrid (Cayman) were evaluated for their BNI potentials under greenhouse and field conditions. In each experiment, plants were grown with (E+) and without (E-) endophyte inoculation, and harvested after eight months of growth. Root tissues and rhizosphere soil were taken from 0-30 cm depth and analyzed for BNI activity and nitrification, using bioluminescence assays and soil incubation, respectively. In the greenhouse experiment, endophyte association reduced BNI activity of root tissues in at least two cultivars (Basilisk and Marandu; by 13% and 6%, respectively); and this corresponded with 9% and 10% higher rates of nitrification (for Basilisk and Marandu, respectively) in soils grown with endophyte-infected plants than in the control. Under field conditions, endophyte association increased rates of nitrification in Marandu and Cayman by a similar magnitude of 12%, compared with endophyte-free control. In both experiments, Tully and Basilisk were essentially the most outstanding candidates for low-nitrifying forage systems, as shown by their high BNI activity and/or low rates of nitrification. The study also showed that cultivating soils with Brachiaria grasses could offer more agronomic and environmental benefits due to low N loss through nitrification than leaving the soils bare. However, further research to identify endophyte species that could suppress soil nitrifying microbes may enhance BNI process in Brachiaria