Maize In West Africa Research Articles

English

Pigeonpea is an important grain legume, and is traditionally intercropped with maize in West Africa and India. Small farmers in Limpopo Province, South Africa, who cultivate pigeonpea landraces under traditional mixed intercropping, experience the challenge of low productivity. Strip intercropping is a novel cropping system has greater efficiency and productivity in resource utilization when compared to mixed intercropping. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the performance of improved pigeonpea varieties under a pigeonpea-maize strip intercropping system. Five pigeonpea varieties (ICEAP 001284, ICEAP 00604, ICEAP 87091, ICEAP 00661 and ICEAP 01101-2) were intercropped in maize as mixed and strip intercropping during the 2015–2016 and 2016/2017 cropping seasons while monocrops of both crops were also maintained as control. The trial for each season was replicated three times in a split plot design. During both seasons, ICEAP 001284 and ICEAP 00604 exhibited the shortest number of days to attain 50% flowering under strip intercropping and monocropping when compared to the remaining varieties. Higher significant (P < 0.05) grain yields (1726 kg ha-1, 1478 kg ha-1 and 858 kg ha-1 were obtained under strip intercropping for ICEAP 001284, ICEAP 01101-2 and ICEAP 00604, respectively during 2016/2017 than their respective grain yields during 2015/2016 season. Strip intercropping out-performed mixed intercropping with a higher land equivalent ratio and cash returns due to its ripple effect in the enhanced yield components. Among the five pigeonpea varieties, ICEAP 001284, ICEAP 00604 and ICEAP 01101-2, performed exceedingly well in their crop mixtures. In conclusion, the three pigeonpea varieties were selected for cultivation under strip intercropping. Strip intercropping exhibited greater efficiency in resource utilization and productivity over mixed intercropping in terms of grain yield, land equivalent ratio, net profit, and benefit-cost ratio. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Fuzzy measure-based multicriteria land assessment for rainfed maize in West Africa for the current and a range of plausible future climates

Crop production in West Africa is largely under rainfed conditions, making the system vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. However, the impact of future climate on the geographic range of many crops in West Africa is still uncertain. This is exacerbated by considerable uncertainty in projecting future West African climate by global circulation models (GCMs). In this paper, the current land suitability for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) production in West Africa and how it would change in response to a range of future climate changes were assessed. A novel non-additive approach involving the integration of a fuzzy measure modelling procedure and the Choquet integral to deal with non-linear relationships among criteria was introduced. The supervised and unsupervised variants of the approach and the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) aggregators were evaluated and compared using data on the current climate, soil characteristics, and actual maize yield estimates at some locations across the region. The supervised fuzzy measure modelling outperformed the unsupervised variant and the OWA operators, demonstrating the importance of considering interaction among criteria and incorporating human reasoning in multicriteria analysis. Consequently, the supervised modelling approach was used to estimate suitability scores for rainfed maize for the current and a range of plausible future climates which were generated from unique combinations of temperature and rainfall percentile values (5th, 50th and 95th) from 25 and 32 GCMs projections under the RCPs 2.6 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. Under the current climate in West Africa, the combined suitable/highly suitable areas for rainfed maize production are in the humid savanna zones. In contrast, the forest region to the south exhibited moderate suitability with the semi-arid savanna zones being marginally suitable. Relative to the current climate in which 91.3% of West Africa is at least moderately suitable for maize production, suitability for maize will change in at least 43% of West Africa in response to future climate change. Across all scenarios and years, future suitability in the semi-arid region of the Sudano-Sahelian savannas shows strong sensitivity to uncertainty in rainfall projections. However, regardless of the trajectory of future rainfall projection, the 95th percentile temperature projection will decrease suitability in about 15% of the West African region by 2080 under the RCP8.5 scenario. Because of the incorporation of uncertainties of future climate projections in this analysis, the results from this study can be used in the development of flexible climate adaptation strategies.

Phylogeography and Population Structure of the Mediterranean Corn Borer, Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Across Its Geographic Range.

Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a widespread insect pest in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. However, its pest status varies across its distribution range. It is a major pest of maize in Europe and of sugarcane in Iran. In Africa, it is a major pest of maize in West Africa but not considered as a pest in East Africa. Recent surveys conducted in 2015 recorded S. nonagrioides to be a major pest of sugarcane in Ethiopia and reported the species for the first time in Botswana, outside its known geographic range. The genetic relationship of these records with the previously recorded population of S. nonagrioides was investigated using the cytochrome oxidase subunit I region of the mitochondrial genome. In total, 113 individuals across the geographic range of the species were analyzed and 63 haplotypes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis separated the populations into two clades with no distinct geographic distribution pattern. The genetic differentiation was also not associated with host plants and geographic distances. Results of the molecular analysis revealed the long-time establishment of S. nonagrioides population in Botswana and identified the newly recorded sugarcane population from Ethiopia as part of the wild host population in the country. The phylogeographic patterns observed among population of S. nonagrioides have probably been shaped by Pleistocene's climatic oscillations and geographic range expansions from different refugia with secondary contact and admixture. Possible reasons for the host-plant expansion by the Ethiopian population are discussed.

Analysis of Agricultural Commodities Value Chains and Greenhouse Gas Emission in Rice and Maize in West Africa: Impact on Food Security

This paper analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission along the value chains of two strategic commodities in West Africa (rice and maize) in four pilot countries: Ghana, Senegal Benin and Cote D’Ivoire. The Value Chains Analysis and Greenhouse model used in this study, provides insight into the relationship between output maximization and GHG emissions to help define optimal intervention approaches that minimize emissions while maximizing the potential yield, hence boost food security. It highlights intervention measures for improvement of production and productivity along with the identification of mitigation measures to reduce GHG emissions. It also revealed that the largest GHG emission factor from maize farming in the selected countries is from the application of nitrogen fertilizers (NO2), and for rice farming, depending on the systems, e.g. rain fed, irrigated or multiple aeration, the emission is mostly due to anaerobic decomposition of methane (CH4) which increases with flooding practice.

Assessing the representativeness and repeatability of testing sites for drought-tolerant maize in West Africa

Badu-Apraku, B., Akinwale, R. O., Obeng-antwi, K., Haruna, A., Kanton, R., Usman, I., Ado, S. G., Coulibaly, N., Yallou, G. C. and Oyekunle, M. 2013. Assessing the representativeness and repeatability of testing sites for drought-tolerant maize in West Africa. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 699–714. The selection of suitable breeding and testing sites is crucial to the success of a maize (Zea mays L.) improvement programme. Twelve early-maturing maize cultivars were evaluated for 3 yr at 16 locations in West Africa to determine the representativeness, discriminating ability, and repeatability of the testing sites and to identify core testing sites. Genotype main effect plus genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplot analysis revealed that Zaria (Nigeria), Nyankpala (Ghana), and Ejura (Ghana) displayed the highest discriminating ability. Two mega-environments were identified. Bagou, Nyankpala, Bagauda, Ikenne, and Mokwa constituted the first mega-environment (ME1); Ejura, Ina and Sotuba represented the second (ME2). The ME1 would be more useful for evaluating early maize genotypes for tolerance to drought than ME2 because locations in ME1 were more strongly correlated to Ikenne (managed drought stress site). Among the test locations, Bagou and Mokwa were found to be closely related to Ikenne in their ranking of the cultivars for drought tolerance; Zaria was the exact opposite, indicating that this was the least suitable location for evaluating genotypes for drought tolerance. Nyankpala and Ikenne were identified as the core testing sites for ME1 and Ejura for ME2. TZE Comp 3 C2F2 was identified as the highest yielding cultivar for ME1 and Syn DTE STR-Y for ME2, indicating that they could be used as check cultivars. Ikenne, Nyankpala, and Ejura had moderately high repeatability. They were closer to the average environment axis of each mega-environment and will be useful for culling unstable genotypes during multi-locational testing. Other sites were less representative and not repeatable and will not be useful for evaluating early maize cultivars for drought tolerance.

Performance of Trichogrammatoidea sp. nr lutea Girault (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) collected from Mussidia spp. in Kenya on eggs of six lepidopteran hosts

Abstract Mussidia nigrivenella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), an important pest of maize ears in West Africa, has never been reported to attack crops in East and southern Africa (ESA), though it was found on various wild host plants in these regions. It was suggested that in ESA M. nigrivenella might be under natural control. In Kenya, exploration for natural enemies associated with Mussidia spp. yielded several parasitoids including a trichogrammatid egg parasitoid, Trichogrammatoidea sp. nr lutea Girault. The ability of T. sp. nr lutea to attack the eggs of several lepidopteran species found in Kenya was studied. The lepidopterans included the noctuids Busseola fusca (Fuller) and Sesamia calamistis (Hampson), the pyralids Eldana saccharina Walker, Mussidia fiorii Cecconi and de Joannis and Mussidia‘madagascariensis’, and the crambid Chilo partellus (Swinhoe). The former three species also infest cereals in West Africa. Trichogrammatoidea sp. nr lutea successfully attacked and developed in eggs of all six species indicating its potential to exploit other lepidopteran pests of maize in West Africa. Busseola fusca and S. calamistis were the most suitable hosts and had the largest number of eggs parasitized and progeny per female wasp where E. saccharina and C. partellus were the poorest hosts. The host species used to rear the parasitoid and the age of egg also significantly affected the total number of host eggs parasitized by the parasitoid. It was concluded that the ability of T. sp. nr lutea to exploit lepidopterans that are also pests of maize in West Africa may enhance biological control of M. nigrivenella and it should be considered for translocation to that area from Kenya.

Effect of planting date on incidence and damage by Sesamia calamistis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize in southern Benin

Stem and cob borers cause substantial damage to maize and affect the quality and economic value of maize in West Africa. Manipulation of planting dates is considered a possible mechanism for averting the overall impact of borers and their damage to the crop. Experiments were carried out in southern Benin to evaluate the effect of various planting dates on the incidence and damage to maize by Sesamia calamistis (Hampson). The trials were conducted at the Benin station of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) at Abomey-Calavi and at Sehoue, located 70 km north of the IITA, Benin station. The planting dates were: early planting (the day following the first rains), intermediate planting (2–3 weeks after the early planting) and late planting (4–5 weeks after the early planting). The experiments were carried out in the main and minor cropping seasons, respectively, during two successive years in 2003 and 2004. The variables measured included population density of S. calamistis, percentage of infested plants and cob damage. In the main cropping season, incidence of stemborers and percentage of infested plants were higher in the late planting than in the early planting and intermediate planting treatments. The manipulation of planting dates for the control of S. calamistis during the minor maize growing season is not recommended.

The effect of Fusarium verticillioides on oviposition behaviour and bionomics of lepidopteran and coleopteran pests attacking the stem and cobs of maize in West Africa

Abstract The effect of Fusarium verticillioides Sacc. (Nirenberg) in maize stem and grain on the oviposition behaviour and bionomics of lepidopteran and coleopteran pests in West Africa was studied in olfactometer, greenhouse, and field trials in Benin. In a choice experiment, the pyralid Eldana saccharina (Walker) laid on average 31.9 eggs on inoculated maize stems vs. 9.2 and 7.8 on stems from plants, grown from hot‐water or fungicide treated seeds, respectively. For the pyralid Mussidia nigrivenella (Ragonot) the values were 42.1 in the inoculation and 7.8 eggs in the fungicide treatment. The survival of E. saccharina larvae was significantly higher from the inoculation than the hot‐water or fungicide treatments. Fecundity in the three treatments was 494, 307, and 268 eggs per female, respectively. In an olfactometer experiment, no significant differences were found in the time spent by the curculionid Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky between the odor field with Fusarium‐infected grain and with uninfected grain, but both were significantly different from the controls. Significant differences were obtained for the nitidulid Carpophilus dimidiatus (Fabricius) with 50.5 and 35.8%, respectively, of the time spent in the Fusarium‐infected and non‐infected odor field. For both species, no differences were found between sexes. For S. zeamais, development time was significantly higher when reared on infected (37.2 days) than on non‐infected grain (34.4 days), whereas fecundity, expressed as number of progenies during the first 4 weeks, was lower on the inoculated grain (11 vs. 16 offspring per female). For C. dimidiatus the situation was the reverse: development time was shorter and fecundity was higher on infected grain (32.4 vs. 34.4 days, and 18 vs. 13 offspring per female, respectively). It was concluded that the higher pest densities found in the stem and ear of field grown maize was due to a higher attraction to and higher immature survival and adult fecundity on F. verticillioides infected plants.

Marasmiellus Leaf Disease on Maize in West Africa.

A leaf disease of maize previously described as borde blanco (1) or horizontal banded blight (2) was recently observed for the first time in three West African countries. The symptom was white, dry lesions that grew phasically on the edge of the leaf, resulting in horizontal bands delineated by purple to brown margins. Minute basidiocarps (1 mm high) were seen in the white zone of the banded lesions, often arranged linearly. The appearance of the fungus was consistent with a report from Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry of a basidiomycete on maize of the order Agaricales, Marasmiellus paspalli (Petch) Singer (2). Lamellae were lacking, replaced on mature basidiomes by up to four ridges, which concurred with the description of an unnamed West African variety (1). The pileus and stipe of the mushroom were consistently white when fresh, and light beige when mature. The fungus grew readily on potato dextrose agar, forming a cottony white colony with occasional dark stromatic tissue, and hyphae with abundant clamp connections. Out of over 100 fields visited in 1993 and 1994, the disease was seen in one site only in southern Cameroon in 1994. In 1997, it was found in all maize fields in four separate areas in the southern humid forest zone of that country. In Ghana in November 1996, it was prevalent in a survey of 60 fields, with leaf area losses from 30 to 40%. In August of 1997, the disease appeared in low incidence on maize in Nigeria. The appearance of the Marasmiellus disease in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana in the last 3 years represents a geographic shift from where the pathogen has been previously reported (1,2). It is not known at this time if significant yield loss is being incurred.

Sampling lepidopterous pests on maize in West Africa

AbstractThe spatial distribution of five lepidopterous pests, Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Noctuidae), Eldana saccharina Walker (Pyralidae), Spodoptera exempta (Walker) (Noctuidae), Mussidia nigrivenella (Ragonot) (Pyralidae), and Cryptophlebia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Tortricidae), on maize in West Africa is described using Taylor's power law and the relationship of proportion of infested plants to the mean density. All five species showed a highly aggregated distribution, with Taylor's indices of aggregation ranging between 1.23 for C. leucotreta and 1.52 for Sesamia calamistis. Enumerative and binomial sampling plans that incorporate Taylor's power law are proposed to estimate mean densities of S. calamistis, C. leucotreta and the species complex consisting of E. saccharina, M. nigrivenella and Spodoptera exempta which showed similar spatial distributions, with a predefined reliability level.

95. Archaeological Maize in West Africa: A Discussion of Stanton and Willett

95. Archaeological Maize in West Africa: A Discussion of Stanton and Willett

How Ancient is West African Maize?

Eastern Whites in Western AfricaMy article on Zaburro was written in the expectation that it would stimulate discussion over the antiquity of maize in West Africa, and the matter has been taken up by Professor Portères (1959), on whose publication Mr. Willett has relied for certain inferences in his article inAfricafor January 1962. Among the interesting points brought forward by Professor Portères (1959, vi) are the groups of African vernacular names which indicate that maize was introduced by foreigners, strangers, whitemen. A similar observation had been made more than a hundred years ago by Koelle (a.1854, v), a missionary in Sierra Leone, who wrote: ‘…the names for onion, rice, maize, &c. show that in many countries [in Africa] these articles have been introduced by foreigners.…’ Who these foreigners were Koelle, with his long list of vernacular words for whiteman to choose from, leaves indeterminate. On the other hand, underlying Professor Portères's view that it was the Portuguese or the Dutch who brought maize to the Guynee coast, lies the assumption that the foreigners, the strangers, the whitemen indicated by these vernacular names were the Portuguese and the Dutch.

The Introduction of Maize into West Africa: An Assessment of Recent Evidence

Opening ParagraphIt is important to establish the date and route of the introduction of maize into West Africa for several reasons. It could throw light on early documents about the area, it would help to clarify certain questions of the contact of indigenous cultures with each other as well as with intrusive cultures, and it could introduce an element of absolute dating into the chronology of archaeological deposits in the area. The last point may well be the most important, since most techniques for dating archaeological material in absolute terms cannot be employed in the study of the ethnohistory of West Africa. The cob of the maize plant is widely used in West Africa as a decorative roulette on pottery, usually on the coarser wares. The presence or absence of such decoration is therefore used as a horizon in excavating archaeological sites in West Africa. (Cf. Goodwin, 1953, and Willett, 1959.) Moreover, botanists have studied the genetics of maize in West Africa in great detail so that a statistical study of maize impressions on pottery, although not permitting the identification of particular varieties of maize, could in theory permit the identification and relative location in time of changes in the maize population cultivated at a given site, and thus serve to date the pottery. (Cf. Jones 1959, Stanton and Willett.)