Abstract
Finger millet is a food crop that provides nutritional security and is climatically resilient for farming and agricultural diversification. However, its quality and yield remain low due to biotic and abiotic factors, the greatest of which is blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. We surveyed the occurrence, distribution and severity of finger millet blast in five counties, namely, Busia, Bungoma, Kisii, Machakos and Makueni, in Kenya. Blast disease occurrence was determined by observing disease symptoms of different plant parts on each farm, and symptoms were recorded as either present or absent. Severity was evaluated based on the disease symptoms on plant fingers, leaves and necks and generally at the whole farm scale. Distribution was assessed based on the number of farms sampled for blast per county, and global positioning systems coordinates were recorded. Blast occurrence was 100%, with a uniform distribution pattern on all the farms surveyed across all the counties. Busia County had the highest disease severity at 82.3%, while Makueni had the lowest severity at 61%. Pearson’s correlation test revealed no statistically significant correlation between blast severity and plant parts infected (p< 0.05), with Busia (74.2%) having the highest number of plants showing symptoms of blast on fingers, followed by Bungoma (57.1%), Makueni (57%), Machakos (56%) and Kisii, 53.3%. This study reveals that finger millet blast is rampant in all the counties surveyed and is widely distributed in Kenya. This information is helpful in understanding the geographical distribution, occurrence and severity of M. oryzae. Key words: Finger millet blast, occurrence, severity, distribution, Magnaporthe oryzae.
Highlights
Crop transformation and diversification are an ideal mechanism for transforming agriculture from a stable system to a more useful system
Soil fertility was enhanced on most of the farms surveyed by farm yard manure with Busia and Machakos having the highest fertility at 90%, Bungoma and Makueni at 85% and Kisii with the lowest fertility at 80%
The fields surveyed varied in size, but the majority of farms with finger millet crops were less than an acre (0.404 ha), as was observed during sampling
Summary
Crop transformation and diversification are an ideal mechanism for transforming agriculture from a stable system to a more useful system. Among the main finger millet growing regions in India, Karnataka State is the leading producer of finger millet, but this production only accounts for 58% of the global production Despite this scenario, only a few Indians are aware of its health benefits and nutritional value (Chandra et al, 2016). In East Africa, cultivation of this crop accounts for more than 50% of the area of small millet, which only reflects a 25% increase over 30 years within the region. This expansion, though minimal, is due to increased domestic demand, improved regional trade and increased market prices in comparison to those of other cereals (Manyasa et al, 2019). Having been replaced by maize in the 20th century finger millet is perceived more like the “poor– man-crop” or „bird seed it is not a priority crop for most of the farmers (Handschuch and Wollni, 2016)
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