Adoption and impact of integrated Striga and soil fertility management strategy in Mali

The possibility to vary the energy matrix, thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuels, has amplified the acceptance of biomass as an alternative fuel. Despite being a cheap and renewable option of waste from agriculture and forestry activities, the use of these materials has barriers due to its low density and low energetic efficiency, which can raise the costs of its utilization. Biomass densification has drawn attention due to its advantage in comparison to in natura biomass due to its better physical and combustion characteristics. Work has been carried out in this areas namely in the densification (briquettes) forestry wastes, kiwi and vine punning waste and their respectively elementary characterization. In a subsequent step, this work also presents the study of the thermal performance and combustion hygiene of the different briquettes produced in a burning hot water boiler. The thermal efficiency was determined by the direct method and it was found that the boiler thermal performance was quite similar for the different types of fuel tested and did not depend on the fuel feeding rate

Assessment of genetic diversity of rice based on SNP markers for selection of parents for sheath rot (Sarocladium oryzae) resistance breeding

Sheath rot of rice, caused by Sarocladium oryzae, is an important emerging rice disease not only in Rwanda, but also in other rice-growing countries. Given that cultivar resistance is a sustainable management strategy for small-scale farmers, the aim of this study was to identify genetically distant parental materials for sheath rot resistance breeding. Ten resistant and fifteen susceptible accessions were analysed using 94 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The number of alleles amplified per locus ranged from 1 to 4 with a mean of 2.01 and a total of 189 alleles detected from the 25 genotypes. The number of observations per marker locus ranged from 11 to 25 with an average of 23. The mean major allele frequency was 76.2%, whereas the mean polymorphic information content was 0.263, and gene diversity was estimated at 0.325. Consequently, the markers were highly informative and revealed good estimates of genetic diversity among the studied accessions. Genetic distances ranged from 0 to 0.63 and a UPGMA dendrogram distinguished resistant and susceptible genotypes. This study revealed the possibility of improving resistance to sheath rot with minimum risk of genetic depression or reduced variability among progenies through hybridisation of locally adapted germplasm

Research and development partnerships for a large-scale diffusion of technologies for sorghum and millet systems in Mali

The objective of this work is to improve production systems based on sorghum and pearl millet in the Mopti and Sikasso regions of Mali, by strengthening research and development partnerships for large-scale utilization of proven technologies with potential for improving nutrition, benefiting women and children, and enhancing the sustainability of smallholder agriculture. At the farm level, the focus has been to improve production by increasing access to selected new technologies, and enhancing awareness and ‘knowhow’ for the use of existing technologies to enhance sorghum and millet production. In the Mopti and Sikasso regions of Mali, the major technologies targeted for dissemination include: i) the use of seed treatment such as Apron Star 42WS, ii) seed of improved varieties of pearl millet, sorghum (both hybrid and open pollinated varieties), groundnut and cowpea adapted to the Sahelian environmental conditions, iii) integrated Striga and soil-fertility management practices; and iv) biological control of the millet head-miner. Seed treatment of pearl millet with Apron Star significantly reduced the incidence and severity of diseases. Grain yield was 20% higher when seed was treated. Further, the practice increases yield by 39% relative to farmers’ current practice

Genetic analysis of mechanisms associated with inheritance of resistance to sheath rot of rice

Understanding genetic mechanisms controlling inheritance of disease resistance traits is essential in breeding investigations targeting development of resistant genotypes. Using North Carolina design II, 32 F1 hybrids were generated by crossing eight susceptible to four resistant parents and submitted for field evaluation. The analysis of general and specific combining ability (GCA and SCA) indicated involvement of additive and non-additive gene action controlling inheritance of horizontal resistance to sheath rot of rice. High GCA/SCA ratio and high heritability estimates revealed additive effects and were more predominant than none additive ones. The level of dominance indicated dominant genes was more important than recessive genes. Estimates of GCA and SCA analysis suggested that crop improvement programmes should be directed towards selection of superior parents or good combiners, emphasizing on GCA. As far as source of resistance is concerned, most promising genotypes were Cyicaro, Yunertian and Yunkeng. The predominance of additive genetic effects together with the relevance of dominant genes suggested possibilities of improving the resistance by introgression of resistance genes through recurrent selection coupled with phenotypic selection

Characteristics of African traditional beers brewed with sorghum malt: a review

Traditional sorghum beers are produced in several countries of Africa, but variations in the manufacturing process may occur depending on the geographic localization. These beers are very rich in calories, B-group vitamins including thiamine, folic acid, riboflavin and nicotinic acid, and essential amino acids such as lysine. However, the traditional sorghum beer is less attractive than Western beers because of its poorer hygienic quality, organoleptic variations and shorter shelf life. Research into the microbiological and biochemical characteristics of traditional sorghum beers as well as their technologies have been performed and documented in several African countries. This review aims to summarize the production processes and compositional characteristics of African traditional sorghum beers (ikigage, merissa, doro, dolo, pito, amgba and tchoukoutou). It also highlights the major differences between these traditional beers and barley malt beer, consumed worldwide, and suggests adaptations that could be made to improve the production process of traditional sorghum beer

Pythium root rot of common bean : biology and control methods. A review

Pythium root rot constitutes a highly damaging constraint on the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., grown in several areas of Eastern and Central Africa. Here, this food legume is cultivated intensively under poor conditions of crop rotation due to the exiguity of the land in the region. Yield losses of up to 70 % in traditional local bean cultivars have been reported in Kenya and Rwanda. In this study, a detailed analysis of the biology and diversity of the Pythium genus was carried out in order to understand the mechanisms leading to the development of the disease. Various control methods for reducing the damage provoked by this disease were analyzed