High Yielding and Disease Resistant Elephant Grass Suitable for Intensive Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Kenya

In Kenya, over 80% of milk is produced by the smallholder dairy farmers who mainly practice semi or zero-grazing dairy management system. Scarcity of livestock feed is a great limiting factor in the dairy industry, especially in the small scale farming systems which rely mostly on fodder. Elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum) is the major livestock feed and its productivity depends mostly on management practices. The current fodder crops grown by farmers have been developed through systematic research of collection/introductions, screening and evaluation of forages for their suitability as livestock feed. These adopted fodder cultivars are undergoing yield reduction due to fungal diseases. This study evaluates new Elephantgrass genetic material with high yielding potential and disease resistance. Results show that accession 16791 (KAKAMEGA 1) is high yielding, highly nutritious and resistant to a fungal disease Ustilago kamerunensis

A New Napier Grass Stunting Disease in Kenya Associated With Phytoplasma

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) is a cultivated elephant grass native to Eastern and Central Africa forming the major livestock feed on East African smallholder dairy farms (Valk, 1990) as it is suitable for cut and carry zero-grazing management systems. Although several plant pathogens have been described historically they were seldom severe. However, in the 1970s there was an outbreak of snow mould fungal disease caused by Beniowskia spheroidea that attacked most varieties of napier grass. A napier grass variety (clone 13) was bred which is resistant to the disease. In the 1990s two major outbreaks of napier grass diseases occurred in Kenya. In Central Kenya a napier grass head smut caused by Ustilago kamerunensis H Sydow and Sydow in 1992 and in Western Kenya a napier grass stunting disease was first reported in Bungoma in 1997. A similar stunting disease had been reported in Uganda (Tilley, 1969), which was suspected to be a virus transmitted by insects. This new outbreak of napier grass stunting disease is of major concern as it attacks all varieties of napier grass. The main objective of this study was to survey the extent of the disease and to identify the organism causing this disease

Social and Spill-Over Benefits as Motivating Factors to Investment in Formal Education in Africa: A Reflection around Ghanaian, Kenyan And Rwandan Contexts.

This study examined the social and spill-over benefits as motivating factors to investment in formal education in selected countries in Africa. The paper had three objectives, namely) to profile the key statistics of formal schooling; ii) examine the formal education and iii) link national goals of education with expectations in Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. The major contention of the paper is that investment in education is not a matter of random choice but rather an imperative led by the fact that education holds returns and externalities to the largest society.  Authors reviewed theory of human capital, local and international publications on social and spill over benefits of education focusing on Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. The analysis of government policies and other publications from these three African nations have shown that education is considered as a key sector in these developing nations. Nevertheless, the researchers found out that mostly only primary and secondary education are distinctively accorded considerable public financial resources which might be associated with the countries limited financial ability, competitive needs, national and global trends. However, the fact that Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda strive to become democratic, self-reliant and middle income nations by conquering long terms set visions in which caliber manpower, welfare, self-employment, reduced social inequalities, increase in average income, knowledge based society, ICT driven and sustainable economy are key characteristics; it is imperative to invest substantially in TVET and higher education. It is also recommended that Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda put in place strong institutions that objectively, effectively and rationally ensure the efficient use of all available resources towards maximum educational outputs (265 words). Key words: Social Benefits, Spill-over Benefits, Private Cost, Social Cost, Private Rate of Returns, Education, Cost- Best Analysis in Education, Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda

Clipping and long-term grazing effects on biomass and carbohydrate reserves of Indian ricegrass

Long-term heavy grazing had little effect on root and crown biomass of Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides [Roem. and Schult.] Ricker), nor did it significantly affect the total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) reserve levels or the seasonal cycle of reserves in this grass. Fifty years of protection from livestock use had not resulted in ecotypic differentiation in Indian ricegrass for these variables. Clipping reduced crown biomass more than root biomass and removal of 90% of the aboveground biomass resulted in more than a 50% reduction in crown biomass and reserve carbohydrate pool. Two commercial strains of Indian ricegrass ('Nezpar' and 'Paloma') were compared with native Chaco Canyon strains in a uniform garden study. The Nezpar strain was superior to Paloma and the Chaco Canyon strains in production of crown biomass and TNC reserves at the more mesic garden site. The native strains from the more arid Chaco Canyon site were superior to both cultivated strains in production of roots. The native Chaco Canyon strains were little affected by clipping and have promising genetic potential for tolerance of drought and heavy grazing.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Previous grazing or clipping affects seed of Indian ricegrass

Previous heavy grazing for more than 50 years, compared with protection from livestock grazing, in the semi-arid area of Chaco Canyon in the southwestern United States did not result in any significant decrease in seed production potential of Indian ricegrass [Oryzopsis hymenoides (Roem. and Schult.) Ricker]. There also were no significant differences in seed production between grazed and ungrazed collections of Indian ricegrass from the Chaco Canyon study site when transplanted and grown in a common garden. This indicated that long-term protection from livestock grazing probably had not genetically (ecotypically) altered seed production potential. Both grazed and ungrazed transplants of Indian ricegrass differed in seed production from the cultivars 'Paloma' and 'Nezpar'. Nezpar produced the greatest seed yield (312 kg/ha), while Paloma had the lowest yield (78 kg/ha). Defoliation about 1 June over a 2-year period reduced seed production and nitrogen fertilization did not increase seed yield. Previous grazing history had little effect on seed germination, but there were significant differences in germination among some collections and cultivars of Indian ricegrass. Germination was less than 5% for all entries. A tetrazolium viability test showed that seed of native strains were more viable than those of Paloma. Dormancy is a troublesome, but desirable, trait of Indian ricegrass seed for use in droughty areas.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202