Production In sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

The potential of converting plastic waste to 3D printed products in Sub-Saharan Africa

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can transform low-income societies with underdeveloped infrastructure and inadequate manufacturing capabilities. However, uptake in sub-Saharan Africa is still very low. This study adopted a transdisciplinary approach which included critical synthesis of the extant literature, laboratory experiment and a cross sectional engagement with stakeholders, to examine the potential of converting plastic waste to 3D printed products in sub-Saharan Africa. The study showed that while several extruders have been developed in the last decade, there are still many challenges some of which include difficulty to produce filaments with consistent diameter, degraded mechanical properties and health hazards from emissions during extrusion. Furthermore, it was observed that communities across sub-Saharan Africa are interested in 3D printing but do not have sufficient understanding. The study highlights the need for building local capacity to develop, operate and maintain technologies associated with 3D printing.

Insurance Penetration in Africa—A Systematic Literature Review

Insurance in developing countries is not regarded as a main driver for economic growth as compared to other sectors such as infrastructure development and technology. However, insurance contributes to the national economies of many countries in a lot of ways such as employment creation, tax payment, investment, savings, and risk stabilisation amongst others. Insurance further alleviates government efforts in the provision of some amenities such as pension, improving lives of people, economic diversification, mitigating against risks and attracting Direct Foreign Investment (FDI) through risk stabilisation. The rate of insurance penetration in Africa is directly rated to the development and economic growth of a particular country. The systematic review aims to determine why there is a low uptake of insurance products in the Sub-Saharan Region using available, accessed, and published literature. The researcher conducted a systematic review in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. The Google search engine, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched for literature published. The evidence found, was arranged in a table format and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that poverty, lack of product knowledge, inadequate sensitization by the regulator and the low-income levels, were the main contributors to the low uptake of insurance products in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Fish Farmers Regarding Water Quality and Its Management in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda

As the number of inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) increases, demand for animal-source proteins outstrips the current supply. Aquaculture is promoted to sustain livelihood and for improved food security. However, the production in SSA is still low at less than 1% of the total global production. Poor water quality is cited to be one of the factors limiting the growth of the aquaculture sector and is attributed to limited familiarity with standard aquaculture practices. Thus, a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) survey was carried out among fish farmers in five districts of the Rwenzori region. Our results showed that 81% and 80% of them had poor knowledge and practices concerning water quality in aquaculture, respectively. Seventy percent did not know that fish farming caused pollution, while 68% believed that there was no need to treat fish farm effluents. Only 45% showed good attitudes towards water quality management. Fish farmers that fed fish with only complete pellets and those that combined them with locally available products (LAP) were 8 and 5 times more likely to possess more knowledge (p < 0.01) on water quality as compared to others that used only LAP. Slight improvements in attitudes and practices for every unit increment in knowledge were observed (p < 0.05). This limited familiarity with water quality management could severely impede the growth of aquaculture, as well as the sustainable utilization of available water resources. Therefore, there is a need for more training and improvement of extension services among fish farming communities.

Energy poverty, environmental degradation and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT Agricultural productivity remains pivotal to the sustenance of the economies and livelihoods of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. Given the emerging threat of energy and environmental uncertainties globally, this study makes a foray into understanding the link among energy poverty, environmental degradation and agricultural productivity in 35 SSA nations in particular, and the nature of their impacts across the sub-region constituents namely; the Central, Eastern, Western and Southern sub-regional blocs in general. To begin, our identified variables comprised of the following: Energy Poverty Index, derived using the principal component analysis, agricultural value added as a share of GDP served as a measure of agricultural productivity and ecological footprint to represent environmental degradation. Subsequently, the instrumental variable generalized method of moment (IV‐GMM) technique was implemented for the aggregate SSA model, while the IV-two stage least square technique was adopted for the sub-regional estimations for the Central, East, West and South African blocs respectively. Major findings from the SSA model revealed that whereas the index of energy poverty has a significant positive influence, ecological footprint exhibited an inverse and significant impact on agricultural productivity, while the Central, East, West and South African models yielded mixed results given regional disparities in economic development, regional variations in agricultural productivity and an imbalance of available resources. Policy recommendations were suggested to, among other things, transform the energy, environmental and agricultural fortunes of the region.

Biological control interventions reduce pest abundance and crop damage while maintaining natural enemies in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-analysis.

Insect pests are a major challenge to smallholder crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where access to synthetic pesticides, which are linked to environmental and health risks, is often limited. Biological control interventions could offer a sustainable solution, yet an understanding of their effectiveness is lacking. We used a meta-analysis approach to investigate the effectiveness of commonly used biocontrol interventions and botanical pesticides on pest abundance (PA), crop damage (CD), crop yield (Y) and natural enemy abundance (NEA) when compared with controls with no biocontrol and with synthetic pesticides. We also evaluated whether the magnitude of biocontrol effectiveness was affected by type of biocontrol intervention, crop type, pest taxon, farm type and landscape configuration. Overall, from 99 studies on 31 crops, we found that compared to no biocontrol, biocontrol interventions reduced PA by 63%, CD by over 50% and increased Y by over 60%. Compared to synthetic pesticides, biocontrol resulted in comparable PA and Y, while NEA was 43% greater. Our results also highlighted that the potential for biocontrol to be modulated by landscape configuration is a critical knowledge gap in SSA. We show that biocontrol represents an effective tool for smallholder farmers, which can maintain yields without associated negative pesticide effects. Furthermore, the evidence presented here advocates strongly for including biocontrol practices in national and regional agricultural policies.

Improving the Photosynthetic Efficiency and Productivity of Cowpea in Sub Saharan Africa: A Review

Recent studies have found compelling evidence that enhancing photosynthetic mechanisms through genetic engineering can increase crop yield potential. This paper focuses on cowpea productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, its importance, factors limiting photosynthetic potential, and techniques towards boosting cowpea photosynthetic efficiency. High light intensity, low temperature, low CO2 environment, and water scarcity have all been identified as key limiting factors for crop photosynthetic efficiency. Deactivation of Rubisco functioning in shade has also been noted to reduce cowpea photosynthetic potential. However, recent successes have been observed through genetic manipulation of photosynthesis traits so as to improve photosynthetic efficiency and yield under control conditions with considerable increase in yield from 14 to 40%. Thus, improving photosynthesis has the potential to increase crop productivity.

Genetic Analysis of Agronomic and Fall Armyworm-Resistance Traits in Maize Hybrids with Varying Levels of Resistance to Stem Borers

Stem borer (SB) and more recently, fall armyworm (FAW) are serious economic pests in maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. It is hypothesized that SB-resistant germplasm may confer resistance against FAW. However, the performance of SB-resistant lines in hybrid combinations and the inheritance of FAW-resistant traits under variable FAW infestations have not been reported. This study was conducted to (i) obtain information on the inheritance of agronomic and FAW-resistant traits under variable FAW infestations; (ii) identify hybrids combining high grain yield (GYLD) and stability under FAW infestations; and (iii) determine the effects of FAW damage on GYLD. Three SB-resistant lines (1393, CKSBL10060 and CML 331) as testers and six open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) as lines were crossed in a line tester scheme to generate eighteen test crosses. The test crosses together with two tester × tester crosses and two checks were evaluated under artificial FAW infestation (AI), natural infestation (NI) and pesticide-protected condition (PC) in Nigeria. Additive and non-additive effects were significant for GYLD, most agronomic and FAW-resistant traits under AI and NI, except ear damage (EDAM) scores under NI, whereas only the non-additive effect was significant for GYLD under PC. Two testers (1393 and CKSBL10060) combined significant and positive GCA effects for GYLD with desirable GCA effects for FAW-resistant traits under AI and NI, whereas CML 331 combined significant and negative GCA effects of GYLD with undesirable GCA effects of FAW resistance under the test conditions. Three OPVs (AWR SYN-W2, AMATZBR-WC4 and TZB-SR) had a significantly positive GCA effect for GYLD and a desirable GCA effect for either leaf damage (LDAM) or EDAM score under AI. The FAW LDAM and EDAM significantly reduced GYLD under AI but not under NI. Three test crosses (AMATZBR-WC4 x CKSBL10060, TZB-SR x CKSBL10060 and TZBR Comp 1-WC2 × 1393) combined high yield with stability and FAW tolerance across the test conditions and thus were recommended for further testing.

Adoption Patterns and Intensity for Multiple BananaTechnologies in Uganda

The adoption of improved technologies is widely recognized as key to improving agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study analyzes adoption patterns and intensity of multiple banana technologies in Uganda which have been promoted over time. We used primary data collected from 383 banana farmers sampled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Multivariate probit (MVP) and ordered probit analyses were applied to establish the adoption patterns and adoption intensity, respectively, and any factors affecting them. The findings highlight that 15 pairwise correlation coefficients among banana technologies were statistically significant implying that banana farmers adopt technologies simultaneously. The household size, total banana area, ecological location, membership to farmer groups, access to formal credit sources, and the type of market accessed had significant effects on household adoption patterns and intensity. Thus, it is recommended that such factors should be seriously considered in addition to technology characteristics when planning promotion programs. Simultaneous adoption implies that each of the technologies should be considered as a package which contributes to the increased farmer options and maximum synergistic effects among them. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the key variables which affect the pattern and intensity of adopting technological packages involving both input intensification and low-external-input technologies in Uganda.

Genotypic Yield Stability of Wild and Landrace Sorghum Species Under Drought Stress and Striga Infestation

Recurring drought stress cycles and widespread striga (Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth) infestations are two of the major constraints of sorghum production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where they cause a crop loss of about 60 billion US dollars and affect a population of about 100 M people annually. Plant breeders continue to employ conventional and molecular crop breeding strategies in the search for durable genetic resistance/tolerance mechanisms or for germplasm with genes against these two constraints. Crop wild relatives and landraces remain valuable resources of resistance/tolerance genes and have been utilized in the past to improve tolerance to drought stress and resistance to striga. The aim of this study was to assess the stability of performance of 64 sorghum wild relatives, landraces and progenies from some generation of crosses under striga infested and drought stress conditions in agroecological environments endemic for these two stresses. The performance of the genotypes under drought stress was assessed in well-watered and in water stressed conditions at the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Kiboko Research Centre whereas the same set was evaluated under striga artificially infested field and potted trials at the KALRO Alupe Research Centre during 2018/2019 rainy seasons. Genotypes, B35 × ICSV III N, Macia, N13, ICSV 111 IN, F6YQ212 × B35, SRN39, GENO47293, ICSV 111 IN × B35, IS9830, Framida, GENO 45827, F6YQ212, B35 × AKUOR ACHOT were found to maintain stable high yields in both striga and drought conditions. The results here, showed that Genotype, Genotype × Environment (GGE) interaction partitioned genotypes in two of the four mega-environments according to their stability and mean grain yield (GY) and identified representative genotypes of the two traits that could be exploited to develop superior sorghum varieties adapted to drought and striga prone environments.

Epidemiological and pathological screening of suspected cases of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Yola Modern Abattoir, Adamawa State Nigeria

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia is an important infectious disease of cattle caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides and a major constraint to cattle production in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was aimed to identify pathological and histopathological lesions identified in cattle tentatively diagnosed with CBPP at Yola Modern Abattoir, Adamawa State. A total of 9,750 cattle were examined at post-mortem for a period of six months, 110 (1.13%) had lesions suggestive of CBPP out of which seventeen (17) were randomly selected and processed for histopathology based on standard laboratory protocols. Based on sex, CBPP lesion was observed more in female 63 (1.06%) than in the male 47 (1.24%). Whereas, CBPP lesions was observed highest in White Fulani breed 68 (1.14%) followed by Cross breeds 23 (91.16%) and Sokoto Gudali 19 (1.74%) and lowest in Red Bororo 10 (1.36%). There was insignificant statistical association (P>0.05) between CBPP lesions and sex and breed of cattle sampled. Age distribution of CBPP lesion was observed higher in cattle between ages of 4-7 years 79 (1.16%), followed by cattle of 1-3 years 28 (1.15%) and least in cattle less than 1 year 3 (0.60%) with significant statistical difference (P<0.05) between the age groups. Histopathology lesions observed include severe congestion of pulmonary blood vessel in all the lung tissues and fibrin exudation into inter-alveolar spaces with almost all the alveoli collapsed. The bronchiolar epithelium was observed to be thickened, hyperplastic and folded, with a considerable quantity of edematous fluid and numerous inflammatory cells seen in the lumen. In conclusion, this study had demonstrated the presence of CBPP lesions in cattle in the study area. Therefore, serological screening of all cattle, stamping out policies and aggressive annual vaccination campaigns are thus recommended in the study area.

Tephritid Fruit Fly Species Composition, Seasonality, and Fruit Infestations in Two Central African Agro-Ecological Zones.

Bactrocera dorsalis and several Africa-native Ceratitis species are serious constraints to fruit production in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-term trapping and fruit collection study was conducted (2011-2016) in two contrasting agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Cameroon to determine fruit fly species composition, seasonality, attraction to various lures and baits, and fruit infestation levels. Ten tephritid species from genera Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, and Perilampsis were captured in traps. Bactrocera dorsalis was the most dominant of the trapped species and persisted throughout the year, with peak populations in May-June. Ceratitis spp. were less abundant than B. dorsalis, with Ceratitis anonae dominating in the western highland zone and Ceratitis cosyra in the humid forest zone. Methyl eugenol and terpinyl acetate captured more B. dorsalis and Ceratitis spp., respectively than Torula yeast. The latter was the most effective food bait on all tephritid species compared with BioLure and Mazoferm. Bactrocera dorsalis was the dominant species emerging from incubated fruits, particularly mango, guava, and wild mango. Four plant species-I. wombolu, Dacryodes edulis, Voacanga Africana and Trichoscypha abut-were new host records for B. dorsalis. This study is the first long-duration and comprehensive assessment of frugivorous tephritid species composition, fruit infestations, and seasonality in Central Africa.

Smallholder farmers’ willingness to pay for commercial insect-based chicken feed in Kenya

The cost of chicken production in developing countries is 300% higher than in developed nations. Overreliance on the key protein feed ingredients especially soybean and fishmeal (SFM) that are characterized by rising food-feed competition and supply chain impediments exacerbate the situation. The use of insect protein as a sustainable alternative protein source has attracted global attention recently. However, there is a dearth of empirical insights on farmers’ preferences for commercial insect-based feed for chicken production in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluated farmers’ willingness to pay for attributes of insect-based commercial chicken feed in Kenya using a choice experiment based on a survey of 314 predominantly chicken farmers. Results show that the farmers are willing to pay premium prices ranging between US$ 0.35 and US$ 3.45 for insect-based feed in the form of either pellets or mash, feed explicitly labelled as containing insects, insect protein feed mixed with SFM and dark-colored feed. These findings provide evidence for multi-stakeholder collaborations to facilitate the creation of an inclusive insect-based feed regulatory framework for sustainable feed and chicken production.

Banana Mapping in Heterogenous Smallholder Farming Systems Using High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery and Machine Learning Models with Implications for Banana Bunchy Top Disease Surveillance

Banana (and plantain, Musa spp.), in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), is predominantly grown as a mixed crop by smallholder farmers in backyards and small farmlands, typically ranging from 0.2 ha to 3 ha. The crop is affected by several pests and diseases, including the invasive banana bunchy top virus (BBTV, genus Babuvirus), which is emerging as a major threat to banana production in SSA. The BBTV outbreak in West Africa was first recorded in the Benin Republic in 2010 and has spread to the adjoining territories of Nigeria and Togo. Regular surveillance, conducted as part of the containment efforts, requires the identification of banana fields for disease assessment. However, small and fragmented production spread across large areas poses complications for identifying all banana farms using conventional field survey methods, which is also time-consuming and expensive. In this study, we developed a remote sensing approach and machine learning (ML) models that can be used to identify banana fields for targeted BBTV surveillance. We used medium-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Sentinel 2A satellite imagery, and high-resolution RGB and multispectral aerial imagery from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to develop an operational banana mapping framework by combining the UAV, SAR, and Sentinel 2A data with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithms. The ML algorithms performed comparatively well in classifying the land cover, with a mean overall accuracy (OA) of about 93% and a Kappa coefficient (KC) of 0.89 for the UAV data. The model using fused SAR and Sentinel 2A data gave an OA of 90% and KC of 0.86. The user accuracy (UA) and producer accuracy (PA) for the banana class were 83% and 78%, respectively. The BBTV surveillance teams used the banana mapping framework to identify banana fields in the BBTV-affected southwest Ogun state of Nigeria, which helped in detecting 17 sites with BBTV infection. These findings suggest that the prediction of banana and other crops in the heterogeneous smallholder farming systems is feasible, with the precision necessary to guide BBTV surveillance in large areas in SSA.

Challenges facing blood transfusion services at a regional blood transfusion center in Western Kenya

Aims: The demand for blood and blood products in sub-Saharan Africa is occasioned by tropical infectious diseases and obstetric complications that cause anemia. We therefore need a well-organized blood transfusion service with sufficient resources to process blood and blood products, especially in the Western Kenya, where co-infections of tropical diseases are rampant. This study was aimed at determining the blood deficiency and challenges experienced by Eldoret Regional Blood Transfusion Center (ERBTC). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to conduct the study. All the ERBTC staffs, donor records, and blood requisition and dispatch registers were studied. Self-administered questionnaires and data collection abstraction forms were used to collect data. The extracted data from ERBTC registers included those on demand and supply mismatches and blood discards. The obtained data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 16 staffs, 230 donor records, and 9612 units of requested blood were reviewed. The ERBTC reported many challenges ranging from understaffing, limited funding, insufficient equipment, and irregular reagents and other laboratory supplies. During the study period, the blood bank only managed to supply 4740 units of blood against a demand of 9612 units, thus occasioning a 50.7% deficit. A discard rate of 7.8% after the screening was also reported due to insufficient volumes after collection and transfusion transmissible infections. However, there were no wastages during the study period. Conclusion: The main challenges experienced by ERBTC were understaffing, insufficient funding, limited equipment, frequent reagent outages, and discards of unsuitable blood, resulting in very high deficits. We recommend hiring staff, increased funding, acquiring modern equipment and reagents, and recruiting known regular blood donors to alleviate frequent shortage.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Flupyradifurone against Bemisia tabaci on Cassava in Tanzania.

Simple SummaryCassava-colonizing Bemisia tabaci whitefly negatively impact cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa through transmission of viruses that cause cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel insecticide flupyradifurone against this whitefly pest through standard spraying and cutting dip methods. The results from the laboratory, screenhouse and field experiments consistently showed flupyradifurone is effective at reducing whiteflies compared to control treatments. A single cutting dip using this insecticide was highly effective at reducing whiteflies under field conditions and, therefore, should be considered as an alternative to insecticide spraying in cassava systems. Additionally, whiteflies were least abundant during the long rainy season (Masika) and on cassava variety Mkuranga1.A novel butenolide insecticide—flupyradifurone (Sivanto SL 200)—was evaluated for efficacy against cassava-colonizing Bemisia tabaci whitefly under laboratory, screenhouse and field conditions. LC50 values from leaf disc spray assays were comparable for both flupyradifurone (12.7 g a.i/100 L) and imidacloprid (12.6 g a.i/100 L). Both insecticides caused high levels of adult whitefly mortality in leaf disc and leaf dip assays when compared to untreated controls. In screenhouse-based trials, longer soaking (60 min) with flupyradifurone or imidacloprid was more effective than shorter soaking durations (15 or 30 min). In field spraying experiments, flupyradifurone significantly reduced whiteflies, and both insecticides demonstrated powerful knockdown effects on whitefly adult abundances over a period up to 24 h. Single cutting dip application of flupyradifurone reduced whitefly adult abundance by 2 to 6 times, and nymphs by 2 to 13 times. Lower whitefly abundances resulting from insecticide application reduced the incidence of CMD or CBSD. In addition, in field experiments, whiteflies were fewer during the long rainy season (Masika) and on cassava variety Mkuranga1. The findings from this study demonstrate that cutting dips with flupyradifurone could be incorporated as a management tactic against cassava whiteflies. This would ideally be combined in an IPM strategy with other cassava virus and virus vector management tactics including host-plant resistance, phytosanitation and the use of clean seed.

Epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens of cattle and tick control practices in coastal Kenya

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) are a major constraint to livestock health and productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, there are relatively few robust epidemiologic studies documenting TBD and its management in different endemic settings in Kenya. Therefore, a cross-sectional study using multi-stage cluster sampling was undertaken to characterize the epidemiology of TBD and management factors among zebu cattle reared under an extensive system in coastal Kenya. Blood samples from 1486 cattle from 160 herds in 14 villages were screened for the presence of tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens using PCR with high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data on herd structure and herd management practices, and a mixed-effect logistic regression model to identify risk factors for tick-borne pathogens (TBPs). The application of chemical acaricide was the primary method for tick control (96.3%, 154/160), with the amidine group (mainly Triatix®, amitraz) being the most frequently used acaricides. Respondents identified East Coast fever as the most important disease and Butalex® (buparvaquone) was the most commonly administered drug in response to perceived TBD in cattle. The overall animal- and herd-level prevalence for TBPs were 24.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22.0–26.4%) and 75.6% (95% CI: 68.2–82.1%), respectively. Cattle were infected with Anaplasma marginale (10.9%, 95% CI: 9.4–12.6), Theileria parva (9.0%, 95% CI: 7.5–10.5), Anaplasma platys (2.6%, 95% CI: 1.9–3.6), Theileria velifera (1.1%, 95% CI: 0.7–1.8), Babesia bigemina (0.5%, 95% CI: 0.2–1.0), and Anaplasma sp. (0.1%, 95% CI: 0.0–0.4). Moreover, 21 cattle (1.4%) were co-infected with two TBPs. None of the assessed potential risk factors for the occurrence of either A. marginale or T. parva in cattle were statistically significant. The intra-herd correlation coefficients (lCCs) computed in this study were 0.29 (A. marginale) and 0.14 (T. parva). This study provides updated molecular-based information on the epidemiological status of TBPs of cattle and herd management practices in coastal Kenya. This information can be used in designing cost-effective control strategies for combating these TBD in the region.

Molecular identification and phylogenetic characterization of A-strain isolates of maize streak virus from western Ethiopia.

The A-strain of maize streak virus (MSV) causes maize streak disease (MSD), which is a major biotic threat to maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies have described different MSV strains of economic importance from southern and eastern African countries and how eastern African regions are hubs for MSV diversification. Despite these efforts, due to a lack of extensive sampling, there is limited knowledge about the MSV-A diversity in Ethiopia. Here, field sampling of maize plants and wild grasses with visible MSD symptoms was carried out in the western Ethiopian regions of Gambela, Oromia, and Benishangul-Gumuz during the maize-growing season of 2019. The complete genomes of MSV isolates (n = 60) were cloned and sequenced by the Sanger method. We used a model-based phylogenetic approach to analyse 725 full MSV genome sequences available in the GenBank database together with newly determined genome sequences from Ethiopia to determine their subtypes and identify recombinant lineages. Of the 127 fields accessed, MSD prevalence was highest, at 96%, in the Gambela region and lowest in Oromia, at 66%. The highest mean symptom severity of 4/5 (where 5 is the highest and 1 the lowest) was observed in Gambela and Benishangul-Gumuz. Our results show that these newly determined MSV isolates belong to recombinant lineage V of the A1 subtype, with the widest dissemination and greatest economic significance in sub-Saharan Africa and the adjacent Indian Ocean islands.

Genetic Potential of New Maize Inbred Lines in Single-Cross Hybrid Combinations under Low-Nitrogen Stress and Optimal Conditions

Maize (Zea mays, L.) productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains low, despite breeding efforts spanning across decades. Currently, three-way cross hybrids (TWCH) dominate SSA; however, there is the potential to increase yields by using single-cross hybrids. In this study, five new and four elite CIMMYT lines were inter-mated in a half diallel mating scheme to estimate the combining ability of the lines and to determine the stability of their corresponding 36 single-cross hybrids for grain yield under low-nitrogen stress and optimum growing conditions in Zimbabwe and Zambia. The results revealed that the new inbred line CL121290 showed the highest GCA effects under optimum conditions (1.4 tha−1; p < 0.001) and across sites (0.93 tha−1; p < 0.001). The single-cross hybrids G12 (CML311 × DJL173527) and G16 (DJL173887 × CL1211559) were highly stable and were observed as ideal crosses within both the low-nitrogen and optimal environments. However, G18 (CML311 × DJL173887), which was depicted as ideal genotype under the two management conditions, was an unstable genotype. Hybrid G31 (CML311 × CML312) had the least grain yield under low-nitrogen, optimum and across environments. The hybrid G11 (DJL173527 × CL121290) was the highest yielding genotype amongst the new single-cross hybrids and across environments but was unstable and can be recommended for high potential in environments. Overall, the data demonstrated the potential of single-cross hybrids to supplement TWCH in boosting maize productivity under optimal and nitrogen-stress environments in SSA as well as under other areas with similar climatic conditions in the world.

The impact of climate change on the efficiency of agricultural production in the world's main agricultural regions

Climate change has had a significant impact on global agricultural production. Hence, studying the impact of climate change on the efficiency of agricultural production has become crucial in helping major agricultural regions around the world adopt novel technologies to improve the adaptability of agricultural production. The efficiency of agricultural production can also be improved, and global food safety can be ensured at the same time. This paper used data collected from 43 countries around the world from 1992 to 2018. The data envelopment analysis-Malmquist model was used to estimate agricultural productivity with and without the presence of climate factors, and data comparison and analysis were performed among years and regions. The results show that climate factors can overestimate agricultural productivity. On the whole, climate factors have a positive impact on agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and a negative impact in other areas. In addition, the impact of climate change on technical progress is greater than the impact on technical efficiency. According to the results, this paper finds that relevant departments should pay attention to the development of agricultural technology under climate change and should carry out suitable management based on geographical location and climate conditions. In summary, the research methods and results of this article provide a reference for the progress of agricultural production under global climate change.

Identification of Early and Extra-Early Maturing Tropical Maize Inbred Lines with Multiple Disease Resistance for Enhanced Maize Production and Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Maize, a staple for millions across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), faces major biotic constraints affecting production and safety of the crop. These include northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), southern corn leaf blight (SCLB), Curvularia leaf spot (CLS), and aflatoxin contamination by Exserohilum turcicum, Bipolaris maydis, Curvularia lunata, and Aspergillus flavus, respectively. Farmers in SSA would benefit tremendously if high-yielding maize hybrids with multiple disease resistance (MDR) were developed and commercialized. In all, 49 early-maturing (EM; 90 to 95 days to physiological maturity) and 55 extra-early-maturing (EEM, 80 to 85 days to physiological maturity) inbred lines developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture were identified as resistant to NCLB in field evaluations in multiple agroecologies of Nigeria in 2017 and 2018. From each maturity group, the 30 most resistant inbreds were selected for evaluation for resistance to SCLB and CLS using a detached-leaf assay. Additionally, the inbreds were screened for resistance to kernel rot and aflatoxin contamination using a kernel screening assay. In all, 7 EM and 6 EEM maize inbreds were found to be highly resistant to the three foliar pathogens while 10 inbreds were resistant to the foliar pathogens and supported significantly less (P = 0.01) aflatoxin accumulation than other inbreds. Inbreds having MDR should be tested extensively in hybrid combinations and commercialized. Large-scale use of maize hybrids with MDR would (i) increase maize production and productivity and (ii) reduce losses caused by aflatoxin contamination. Overall, planting of EM and EEM maize hybrids with MDR would contribute to food security, reduced aflatoxin exposure, and increased incomes of maize farmers in SSA.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.