Intestinal helminthic infections among elementary students of Babile town, eastern Ethiopia

Introduction: Intestinal helminthic infections are important public health problems in developing countries. In Ethiopia, intestinal parasitic infections are highly prevalent because of low living standards and poor  environmental sanitation. There are several areas in Ethiopia from whichepidemiological information is lacking including Babile town. The aim of  this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal helminthicinfection among students of Babile town.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from May 14 to June 08, 2012. Stool samples collected from 644 students were examined by the McMaster method. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Univariate analysis was carried out using the Chi-square test to check for presence or absence of association between exposure and the presence of infection and odds ratios with 95% CI were computed to measure the strength of association. Logistic regression was used to calculate predictors of helminthic infection. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.Results: The prevalence of intestinal helminths was 13.8%, of which three students were infected with soil transmitted helminths with a prevalence rate of 0.47%. The prevalence of Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius  vermicularis, hookworm, and Trichiura trichiura infections were 13, 0.6, 0.3, and 0.2% respectively. Intestinal helminthic infection was significantly associated with grade and sex of the school children. Conclusion: The prevalence of intestinal helminths was low. Health  information dissemination is recommended. Since infection by  Hymenolepis nana is a long term health problem in the area, provision of regular treatment by anthelminthic drug of choice for hymenolepiasis is also recommended

First report of soybean witchesbroom disease caused by Group 16SrII phytoplasma in soybean in Malawi and Mozambique

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important grain legume cultivated on approximately 1.24 million ha in Africa (1). Malawi ranks fourth in area of production in Africa, with 75,000 ha in 2009 (1). Soybean is also gaining importance in Mozambique and several other southern African countries due to diversification programs. During a field survey conducted in March 2010, soybean plants with phyllody and witches'-broom disorders typical of phytoplasma infection were observed in three of five fields surveyed in Lilongwe (Chitedze Research Station) and Salima (Channa, Chitala) districts in Malawi and three of four fields surveyed in Zambezia Province in Mozambique. Symptoms consisted of shoot proliferation, reduced leaflets, shortened internodes, proliferated auxiliary shoots producing witches'-brooms, virescence, and phyllody. Incidence of symptomatic plants was <1% in Malawi and 10 to 15% in Mozambique. Yield loss was 100% in affected plants. Five leaf samples each from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants were collected from six fields; total genomic DNAs were isolated and used as templates in PCR using phytoplasma-universal primer pair P1 and P7 for 16S-23S ribosomal RNA encoding region (3). PCR amplicons (1,709 bp) were produced from only templates derived from symptomatic plants. Amplicons from a symptomatic plant each from Malawi (Channa, Salima District) and Mozambique (Mutequelse, Zambezia Province) were directly sequenced in both directions and submitted to the GenBank (Accession Nos. HQ840717 and HQ845208). Nucleotide sequences of the two African soybean witches'-broom (SoyWB) phytoplasma strains were 100% identical. The virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern derived from these sequences using iPhyClassifier software (4) was similar to the reference pattern of the 16Sr group II, subgroup C (cactus phytoplasma, Accession No. AJ293216), with a pattern similarity coefficient of 0.99. A BLASTn search revealed that the African SoyWB phytoplasma sequences had a nucleotide sequence identity of 99% with those of soybean phytoplasma from Thailand (Accession No. EF193353), cactus phytoplasma from China (Accession No. EU099561), and several other members of 16SrII group. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the clustering of these strains with members of 16SrII group. In 1984, the occurrence of phyllody and witches'-broom symptoms in soybean in Mozambique was reported (2), however, no comprehensive details on the pathogen are available. To our knowledge, this is the first report of phyllody and witches'-broom disease in soybean in Malawi and the first molecular evidence of association of a 16SrII-C group ‘Candidatus phytoplasma’ with the disease in Malawi and Mozambique. Phyllody and witches'-broom is a destructive disease, and its widespread occurrence can adversely affect soybean production in sub-Saharan Africa. Identification of alternative hosts and vector species would improve our understanding of the disease's epidemiology and contribute to development of appropriate tactics to prevent escalation of this problem into a major disease

Grain yield, stem borer and disease resistance of new maize hybrids in Kenya

Evaluation of 30 maize hybrids for yield and resistance to stem borers and foliar diseases in four agroecologies in Kenya was conducted in 2009. There were significant differences among the hybrids in leaf damage, number of exit holes, tunnel length and grain yield in Kiboko. The maize hybrids CKPH08014, CKPH08025, and CKPH08026 showed the least leaf damage, exit holes and tunnel length, similar to the resistant check. Although ten hybrids yielded over 8 t/ha, two hybrids, CKPH09001 and CKPH08033, gave the highest yield of 8.99 and 8.86 t/ha, respectively, in Kiboko. There were significant differences among the hybrids in resistance to leaf rust and maize streak virus in Kakamega. The intensity of foliar diseases was high in Kakamega compared to the other sites. All hybrids appeared resistant to the foliar diseases at Kakamega. On the average, the highest yield of the hybrids was recorded in Kiboko (7.5 t/ha) followed by Kakamega (6.1 t/ha), and the least at Embu (3.5 t/ha), and Mtwapa (3.14 t/ha). The performance of the hybrids varied from site to site, with CKPH09002 and CKPH09003 performing well at Mtwapa, CKPH09001 at Kiboko, CKPH08039 at Embu, CKPH 08002 and CKPH08010 at Kakamega.Key words: Host plant resistance, maize, pest management, stem borer, foliar disease

Understanding the Attitudes of Communities to the Social, Economic, and Cultural Importance of Working Donkeys in Rural, Peri-urban, and Urban Areas of Ethiopia

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers media via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: The datasets generated for this study will not be made publicly available as the study participants did not explicitly give their consent for the full interview transcripts to be made publicly available.Working donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) are vital to the development and support of people's livelihoods in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of Ethiopia. However, despite their critical role in providing transport, food security, and income generation to some of the poorest and most marginalized households, donkey contributions to human livelihoods have been largely unexplored. Donkey users, veterinary surgeons, business owners, and civil servants were interviewed to investigate the role humans play in shaping donkey lives while furthering our understanding of the social and economic impacts of working donkeys to human lives. Findings are discussed through seven guiding themes; donkeys as generators of income, the relationship between donkeys and social status, donkeys and affect, empowerment through donkeys, the role of donkeys in reducing vulnerability and encouraging resilience, donkey husbandry, and gender dynamics all of which gave a broader and richer insight into the value of donkeys. Donkeys are an important support in rural, peri-urban, and urban settings through the creation of economic security, independence, and participation in local saving schemes. In addition, donkeys provide social status, empowerment to marginalized groups such as women and the very poor and provide a sense of companionship. Whether the interviewee was a donkey user or a key informant appeared to influence their views on donkeys and their welfare, as did their location. The variations in views and practices between urban and rural settings suggests that assessing the socioeconomic value of donkeys in different locations within the same area or country is critical, rather than assuming that similar views are held between compatriots. Despite their centrality to many people's lives in Ethiopia, working donkeys often hold lowly status, are misunderstood, and given little husbandry and healthcare.The Donkey Sanctuary

Genotype by environment interactions and yield stability of stem borer resistant maize hybrids in Kenya

In a maize breeding program, potential genotypes are usually evaluated in different environments before desirable ones are selected. Genotype x environment (G x E) interaction is associated with the differential performance of genotypes tested at different locations and in different years, and influences selection and recommendation of cultivars. Twenty one stem borer resistance maize hybrids and four commercial checks were evaluated in six environments in Kenya under infestation with Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca to determine the G x E interactions and stability of the hybrids. Analysis of variance was conducted for grain yield, days to flowering and plant and ear height. Stability for grain yield was determined using genotype plus genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplot analysis. Variances due to genotype, environment and G x E interaction effects were highly significant for all traits. The GGE biplot showed that four experimental hybrids and two commercial checks had positive PC1 score indicating above average performance across environments. However, 10 experimental hybrids and two commercial checks had negative PC1 score, suggesting poor average performance. Experimental hybrids, CKIR07004 and CKIR07013, were highly desirable in terms of grain yield (&gt;7.5 t/ha) and stability across environments. These hybrids could be released in Kenya and similar environments.Key words: Genotype x environment (G x E) interactions, maize, stem borer resistant hybrids, stability

Comparison of the socio-economic value and welfare of working donkeys in rural and urban Ethiopia

Donkeys (Equus asinus) are widely used throughout Ethiopia and play essential roles in a variety of everyday and income-generating tasks for the people that use them. The challenges faced by people and their working equids vary across communities and geographic locations. This may have implications for how donkeys are perceived by the people they work for, the roles they fulfil and ultimately their welfare. Two complementary methodological approaches were used in this study to explore the socio-economic value of donkeys for their owners and the welfare of the donkeys in rural and urban Ethiopia. Using a questionnaire, donkey owners were asked about their donkeys, their attitudes and beliefs related to donkey use and ownership, and the role donkeys played in their lives. Animal-based welfare assessments were also conducted on a sample of donkeys from different locations, with the overarching aim of the study to investigate differences in use, beliefs, and donkey welfare between rural and urban locations. In both rural and urban locations, working donkeys are critical for their owners’ income-generating activity and therefore their livelihoods. The work they undertake differs substantially between locations, as does their welfare. Work in each setting presents its own challenges and these are reflected in the behaviour and physical health of the donkeys. Rural donkeys showed more apathetic behaviour, a higher ectoparasite burden and greater evidence of tethering/hobbling. Urban donkeys were more alert and had a wider range of body condition scores. The findings highlight marked differences in the role and welfare of donkeys between different areas within the same country, demonstrating the importance of understanding the context, both from the perspective of humans and working equids, prior to staging interventions intended to benefit either party

Ex‐ante evaluation of promising soybean innovations for sub‐Saharan Africa

Open Access JournalThis study undertakes an ex‐ante evaluation of the effects of alternative technology and policy options on soybean supply and demand in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) to 2050. Current soybean consumption in SSA is dominated by cooking oil followed by soybean cake used as animal feed. Due to weak processing sectors and low soybean yields, the region is currently importing about 70% of its consumption requirements. Based on the results from a geospatial bio‐economic modeling framework, soybean consumption in SSA is projected to more than double by 2050 compared to 2010 due in part to a rising population and rising incomes. On the other hand, supply from domestic production is projected to increase by 80% over the same period. Hence, by 2050, net imports into SSA would be nearly 4 times higher than supply from domestic production. Under a future drier climate, some of the production gains achieved through soybean research and extension would be lost and this would further worsen the soybean demand gap in SSA relative to the baseline. This study shows that relying on conventional breeding alone to increase soybean yields in SSA would not be enough to substantially reduce the future demand gap. A combination of promising innovations affecting the soybean value chain across SSA would be needed to close the soybean demand gap in SSA by 2050 under a drier future climate

Combining ability of maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines resistant to stem borers

Ten inbred parents with varying resistance levels to Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca were crossed in a half diallel mating scheme to generate 45 F1 hybrids. The hybrids and five commercial checks were evaluated across four locations in Kenya under artificial and natural infestation in 2009. Genotype (G) by environment (E) interaction (G x E) was non-significant for stem borer leaf damage, number of exit holes and tunnel length, suggesting that screening for stem borer resistance at one location would be adequate. On the other hand, G x E and general combining ability (GCA) x environment interactions were highly significant for gray leaf spot and turcicum leaf blight, indicating an inbred line resistance to a disease in one location may have a different reaction to the same disease in another location. The results of combining ability analysis showed that GCA effects were significant for stem borer resistance traits (leaf damage scores, number of exit holes, and tunnel length) while the opposite was true for specific combining ability (SCA) effects. Parents 5, 2, 6, 9 and 3, were good sources of genes for higher grain yield while parents 1 and 4 were good sources of resistance genes for stem borers. Hybrid 5 x 9 was the best performing hybrid in grain yield (6.53 t/ha) across the locations, while hybrid 1 x 4 was the least performing in grain yield (3.08 t/ha). The source of stem borer resistance identified in the study may be useful for improving levels of stem borer resistance in maize breeding  programs in eastern and southern Africa.Key words: Combining ability, maize, inbred lines, stem borers