Farmer-identified indigenous fruit tree with suitable attributes for the semi-arid Northern Province of South Africa

The study describes different research techniques used to gather useful information to assist smallholder farmers in making important decisions on the identification and selection of an indigenous fruit tree for domestication and commercialisation. The study demonstrates how action research brings together farmer-researcher actors into rural development in an interaction designed to address and find a solution to a problem as identified by farmers. In the end an indigenous technology/product is selected, that fits well into smallholder farming systems. The indigenous fruit tree, Mmupudu (Mimusops zeyheri; English = Transvaal red milkwood; Afrikaans = Moepel) was top - ranked as having favourable environmental, economic and nutritional attributes for conditions under which rural communities in the semiarid Northern Province of South Africa live

Chloride and carbonate salinity tolerance in Mimusops zeyheri seedlings during summer and winter shoot flushes

Shoot flushes alternate with root flushes and the evergreen red milkwood (Mimusops zeyheri Sond.) fruit tree has winter (May–July) and summer (October-December) shoot flushes in southern hemisphere. Fruit of this plant contain high vitamin C and the tree is being researched and bred for arid inland southern Africa regions. Climate change predictions suggested that by 2030 the regions would experience high temperatures (>45°C), recurrent floods and repeated droughts, which are associated with increased salinity challenges. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of salt tolerance in M. zeyheri seedlings to chloride and carbonate salinity during summer and winter shoot flushes under microplot conditions. Treatments, comprising untreated control, NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and Na2CO3 each at 1.0 molar (M) solutions, were applied weekly for eight weeks. During both seasons, CaCl2 and Na2CO3 salinity had significant effects on soil pH and EC. During summer, salt types increased (106%–253%) dry shoot mass and reduced (53%–79%) root/shoot ratio. During winter, Na2CO3 salinity increased (114%) dry shoot mass, but the effects were not different to those induced by NaCl and CaCl2 salinity. All other plant growth variables were not affected by salt type. Salt type had significant effects on assimilation of selected nutrient elements in leaf tissues of M. zeyheri seedlings during winter. Sodium chloride did not have significant effects on nutrient elements, whereas KCl, CaCl2 and Na2CO3 significantly affected selected macronutrient elements and Zn. In conclusion, effects of chloride and carbonate salinity on M. zeyheri seedlings were both season- and salt type-specific, with seedlings displaying some degree of salt tolerance to chloride and carbonate salinity

Confirmation of bioactivities of active ingredients of nemarioc-AL and nemafric-BL phytonematicides

Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicides consistently reduced populations of plant-parasitic nematodes. The contribution of juvenile hatch inhibition to the overall reduction of the nematode numbers by the two phytonematicides, with cucurbitacin A and B as active ingredients, respectively, remains undocumented. The objectives of this study were to examine (i) the response of Meloidogyne incognita second-stage juveniles (J2) hatch to increasing concentration of cucurbitacins A and B, (ii) the potential saturation of J2 hatch when exposed to cucurbitacins for extended incubation periods, (iii) the minimum inhibition concentration for J2 hatch and (iv) the reversibility of J2 hatch inhibition.. Eggs of M. incognita were exposed to a series of purified cucurbitacin A and B concentrations over five incubation periods of 24, 48, 72 h and extended incubation periods of 7 and 10 days. Methanol-dissolved cucurbitacin A and B were each diluted and pipetted into well-plates making 11 concentrations, ranging from 0.0 to 2.5 µg.ml−1 water solvent. Juvenile counts were made after 24, 48 and 72 h, with those for saturation assessed at 7 and 10 days. Thereafter, treatments were diluted five times, incubated again for 5 days and counted to establish reversibility of J2 hatch inhibition. In all incubation periods, treatment effects were highly significant (P ≤ 0.01), with J2 hatch and cucurbitacin concentrations exhibiting quadratic relations. Minimum inhibition concentrations of the two cucurbitacins were between 1.13 and 1.40 µg.ml−1. Treatment effects for reversibility to J2 hatch inhibition were not significant (P > 0.05). In conclusion, J2 hatch inhibition could be one of the waysthrough which the two phytonematicides reduced population densities of Meloidogyne species

Host suitability of selected South African maize genotypes to the root-knot nematode species Meloidogyne incognita race 2 and Meloidogynejavanica: a preliminary study

Thirty-one commercial maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids and open-pollinated varieties (OPV's) were screened in separate greenhouse trials with a resistant inbred line MP712W as reference genotype for host suitability to Meloidogyne incognita race 2 and Meloidogyne javanica. Approximately 10 000 eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2) of the appropriate root-knot nematode species were inoculated on roots of each maize seedling 10 days after plant emergence. The numbers of eggs and J2 per root system were counted, while it was also calculated g-1 root. In addition, percentage resistance in relation to the most susceptible genotype and nematode reproduction factors (Rf) were calculated for the maize genotypes screened. Substantial variation existed among the maize hybrids and OPV's with regard to the nematode parameters evaluated. A number of genotypes could be regarded as highly resistant to M. incognita race 2 based on the fact that they supported less than 10% of the population of this root-knot nematode species, compared to that supported by the most susceptible genotype. Several hybrids and OPV's were identified with Rf values less than one for M. incognita race 2 and M. javanica respectively, indicating antibiosis resistance to these parasites. Screenings of maize genotypes in this study have provided a clear indication of the genetic variability within the maize genome, also with regard to susceptibility of the crop to root-knot nematodes. This substantiates the fact that maize could not be regarded as a non-host to root-knot nematodes on a generic basis, particularly in terms of commercial hybrids. It is suggested that commercial maize hybrids are screened on a continuous basis against root-knot nematodes, which would facilitate selection of hybrids that are less susceptible to both nematode species but that would perform optimally in soils conducive to root-knot-nematode infestation