Piecemeal versus one-time harvesting of sweet potato in north-eastern Uganda with special reference to pest damage

AbstractIn north-eastern Uganda, the sweet potato crop of small subsistence farmers is severely affected by many pests, including (rough) sweet potato weevils, nematodes and millipedes. Field experiments with sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) were conducted at Arapai Station in Soroti District, northeastern Uganda in three consecutive seasons to study the differences between the indigenous practice of harvesting piecemeal in combination with storage ‘in-ground on plants’ and one-time harvesting after crop senescence, with special reference to damage caused by sweet potato weevils (Cylas spp.), rough sweet potato weevils (Blosyrus spp.), millipedes (Diplopoda) and nematodes. The area has two rainy seasons per calendar year, the first one with long, reliable rains and the second one with short, unreliable rains. Severe sweet potato weevil damage in the vines was responsible for the mortality of 46% of the plants in Experiment 1, which was carried out during the first rainy season. Starting 3 months after planting (MAP), sizable storage roots could be harvested, although their number and weight declined after 4 MAP with piecemeal harvesting. The highest storage-root yield (17.8 Mg ha−1) was found in Experiment 2 (second rainy season) at the final harvest. The yield of storage roots stored ‘in-ground on plants’ during the prolonged dry season (Experiment 3) was very low compared with the yields of Experiment 1 (first rainy season) and Experiment 2 (second rainy season). Sweet potato weevil damage of the storage roots was significantly less with piecemeal harvesting than with onetime harvesting, and piecemeal harvesting also increased the quality of the storage roots for human consumption and commercial purposes. However, with piecemeal harvesting the rough sweet potato weevil (Blosyrus spp.) caused more storage root damage than with one-time harvesting. No statistically significant differences between the two types of harvesting were found for damage caused by nematodes or millipedes. It was concluded that piecemeal harvesting of sweet potato storage roots contributes to the control of sweet potato weevil in both vines and storage roots and hence improves the quality of the harvested roots. As rainfall distribution affects the population dynamics of this weevil this method can only be used during a limited period of the year

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in pregnancy: Management approach case report at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret-Kenya

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an uncommon tumour, which raises management dilemma in pregnant women. The condition has a considerable effect on the pregnancy outcome, considering the risk of preterm delivery. This paper reports a case of 26 years old Gravida 7 Para 6 admitted at 28 weeks of gestation with epistaxis, hematemesis and a neck mass. The head CT scan showed a right paranasal space soft tissue mass with bony destruction and bilateral cervical adenopathy, consistent with neoplastic carcinoma. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Deterioration of the patient’s condition, necessitated emergency caesarean delivery at 32 weeks to accommodate further management

Up-scaling orange-fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam) technologies in western Kenya.

Vitamin A deficiency is a major nutritional problem in Kenya, leading to night blindness and high mortality rate in infants. Consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) that is high in -carotene (pro-vitamin A), can reduce the risk of the deficiency. The utilization of the OFSP in Kenya despite its nutritional advantage is limited. Efforts by the Government extension service to promote the crop has had limited impact. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute in collaboration with the International Potato Centre and farmers developed a number of OFSP technologies that can enhance its utilization. The ASARECA/AfDB-supported project “Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa” (DONATA) for Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) was initiated in Bungoma and Busia counties of Western Kenya in 2008. The project used the Innovation Platforms for Technology Adoption (IPTAs) approach in up-scale the proven OFSP technologies. IPTA acts as the institutional mechanism bringing together different stakeholders for scaling out and scaling-up of OFSP technologies along the value chain. Within three years 29 technologies on seed systems, agronomic practises, postharvest processing and marketing were promoted to 7500 beneficiaries. This was achieved through training of 215 extension agents and 1250 farmers on different aspects of OFSP. Thirteen information products were made available to the users through 15 different uptake pathways. Area under OFSP root production increased by over 600% while productivity per unit area increased from 8 to 16 tons/ha in the project countie

Determinants of contract farming for smallholder sunflower producers in northern Uganda

Contract farming is a form of vertical coordination, largely aimed at correcting market failures associated with spot markets that arise due to imperfect information. The objective of this study was to assess the determinants of farmer engagement in sunflower ( Helianthus annus L.) contracts in northern Uganda. Stratified random sampling was used to select 150 contracted and 150 non-contracted sunflower farmers in Oyam District, from where primary data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A Logistic regression model was used to examine the factors that influenced farmer participation in contract farming. The major determinants of participation in contract farming by smallholder farmers were age (P<0.1), sunflower production experience (P<0.01), access to credit (P<0.01) and unit produce price (P<0.01).Collaborative efforts by all parties engaged in contracting arrangements are necessary to negotiate a minimum price with the farmers, with a possibility to re-negotiate whenever the market price is above the set price. The study pointed out that improvement in rural roads to enhance transportation of produce to mini-store is vital in driving sunflower contract farming in Oyam district. Therefore, policies aimed at improving rural roads are urgently needed.L\u2019agriculture contractuelle est une forme de coordination verticale, qui vise principalement \ue0 corriger les d\ue9faillances du march\ue9 associ\ue9es aux march\ue9s qui surviennent avec d\u2019informations imparfaites. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer les d\ue9terminants de l\u2019engagement des agriculteurs dans les contrats de tournesol ( Helianthus annus L.) dans le Nord de l\u2019Ouganda. Un \ue9chantillonnage al\ue9atoire stratifi\ue9 a \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9 pour s\ue9lectionner 150 cultivateurs de tournesol sous contrat et 150 sans contrat dans le district d\u2019Oyam, \ue0 partir desquels les donn\ue9es primaires ont \ue9t\ue9 collect\ue9es \ue0 l\u2019aide d\u2019un questionnaire semi-structur\ue9. Un mod\ue8le de r\ue9gression logistique a \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9 pour examiner les facteurs qui ont influenc\ue9 la participation des agriculteurs \ue0 l\u2019agriculture contractuelle. Les d\ue9terminants principaux de la participation \ue0 l\u2019agriculture contractuelle des petits exploitants agricoles \ue9taient l\u2019\ue2ge (P <0,1), l\u2019exp\ue9rience de production de tournesol (P <0,01), l\u2019acc\ue8s au cr\ue9dit (P <0,01) et le prix unitaire des produits (P <0,01). Les parties engag\ue9es dans des accords contractuels sont n\ue9cessaires pour n\ue9gocier un prix minimum avec les agriculteurs, avec la possibilit\ue9 de ren\ue9gocier chaque fois que le prix du march\ue9 est sup\ue9rieur au prix fix\ue9. L\u2019\ue9tude a soulign\ue9 que l\u2019am\ue9lioration des routes rurales pour am\ue9liorer le transport des produits vers les mini-magasins est essentielle pour stimuler l\u2019agriculture contractuelle de tournesol dans le district d\u2019Oyam. Par cons\ue9quent, des politiques visant \ue0 am\ue9liorer les routes rurales sont n\ue9cessaires de toute urgence

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

Induction of humoral immune response to multiple recombinant Rhipicephalus appendiculatus antigens and their effect on tick feeding success and pathogen transmission

BACKGROUND: Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is the primary vector of Theileria parva, the etiological agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a devastating disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that a vaccine targeting tick proteins that are involved in attachment and feeding might affect feeding success and possibly reduce tick-borne transmission of T. parva. Here we report the evaluation of a multivalent vaccine cocktail of tick antigens for their ability to reduce R. appendiculatus feeding success and possibly reduce tick-transmission of T. parva in a natural host-tick-parasite challenge model. METHODS: Cattle were inoculated with a multivalent antigen cocktail containing recombinant tick protective antigen subolesin as well as two additional R. appendiculatus saliva antigens: the cement protein TRP64, and three different histamine binding proteins. The cocktail also contained the T. parva sporozoite antigen p67C. The effect of vaccination on the feeding success of nymphal and adult R. appendiculatus ticks was evaluated together with the effect on transmission of T. parva using a tick challenge model. RESULTS: To our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of the anti-tick effects of these antigens in the natural host-tick-parasite combination. In spite of evidence of strong immune responses to all of the antigens in the cocktail, vaccination with this combination of tick and parasite antigens did not appear to effect tick feeding success or reduce transmission of T. parva. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight the importance of early evaluation of anti-tick vaccine candidates in biologically relevant challenge systems using the natural tick-host-parasite combination

Epidemiological profile and clinico-pathological features of pediatric gynecological cancers at Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital, Kenya

Background: The main pediatric (0–18 years) gynecologic cancers include stromal carcinomas (juvenile granulosa cell tumors and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors), genital rhabdomyosarcomas and ovarian germ cell. Outcomes depend on time of diagnosis, stage, tumor type and treatment which can have long-term effects on the reproductive career of these patients. This study seeks to analyze the trends in clinical-pathologic presentation, treatment and outcomes in the cases seen at our facility. This is the first paper identifying these cancers published from sub-Saharan Africa. Method: Retrospective review of clinico-pathologic profiles and treatment outcomes of pediatric gynecologic oncology patients managed at MTRH between 2010 and 2020. Data was abstracted from gynecologic oncology database and medical charts. Results: Records of 40 patients were analyzed. Most, (92.5%, 37/40) of the patients were between 10 and 18 years. Ovarian germ cell tumors were the leading histological diagnosis in 72.5% (29/40) of the patients; with dysgerminomas being the commonest subtype seen in 12 of the 37 patients (32.4%). The patients received platinum-based chemotherapy in 70% of cases (28/40). There were 14 deaths among the 40 patients (35%) Conclusion: Surgery remains the main stay of treatment and fertility-sparing surgery with or without adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy are the standard of care with excellent prognosis following early detection and treatment initiation. LMICs face several challenges in access to quality care and that affects survival of these patients. Due to its commonality, ovarian germ cell cancers warrant a high index of suspicion amongst primary care providers attending to adnexal masses in this age group

Adherence to self-administered tuberculosis treatment in a high HIV-prevalence setting: a cross-sectional survey in Homa Bay, Kenya.

Good adherence to treatment is crucial to control tuberculosis (TB). Efficiency and feasibility of directly observed therapy (DOT) under routine program conditions have been questioned. As an alternative, Médecins sans Frontières introduced self-administered therapy (SAT) in several TB programs. We aimed to measure adherence to TB treatment among patients receiving TB chemotherapy with fixed dose combination (FDC) under SAT at the Homa Bay district hospital (Kenya). A second objective was to compare the adherence agreement between different assessment tools

Ruminal acidosis and the rapid onset of ruminal parakeratosis in a mature dairy cow: a case report

A mature dairy cow was transitioned from a high forage (100% forage) to a high-grain (79% grain) diet over seven days. Continuous ruminal pH recordings were utilized to diagnose the severity of ruminal acidosis. Additionally, blood and rumen papillae biopsies were collected to describe the structural and functional adaptations of the rumen epithelium. On the final day of the grain challenge, the daily mean ruminal pH was 5.41 ± 0.09 with a minimum of 4.89 and a maximum of 6.31. Ruminal pH was under 5.0 for 130 minutes (2.17 hours) which is characterized as the acute form of ruminal acidosis in cattle. The grain challenge increased blood beta-hydroxybutyrate by 1.8 times and rumen papillae mRNA expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase by 1.6 times. Ultrastructural and histological adaptations of the rumen epithelium were imaged by scanning electron and light microscopy. Rumen papillae from the high grain diet displayed extensive sloughing of the stratum corneum and compromised cell adhesion as large gaps were apparent between cells throughout the strata. This case report represents a rare documentation of how the rumen epithelium alters its function and structure during the initial stage of acute acidosis