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Dolichos (Lablab purpureus L.) is a drought tolerant legume used as food/feed and im- provement of soil fertility. The production of dolichos in Kenya, Nakuru County is however limited by insect pests like bean aphids, pod borers and whiteflies. Field stud- ies were conducted to determine the effect of cropping systems (dolichos monocrop and maize-dolichos intercrop) and field margin vegetation on bean aphids and their natural enemies. The experiment was conducted in Njoro (high field margin vegetation) and Ron- gai (low field margin vegetation) during May–December 2019 and March−November 2020 cropping seasons. Bean aphid percent incidence, severity of damage and abundance was assessed at seedling, early vegetative, late vegetative and flowering dolichos growth stages. The populations of natural enemies in the plots and field margin vegetation were monitored using pan traps and sweep nets. Species diversity and composition of the field margin ve-getation was determined using a quadrat. Results showed that location and cropping system had significant effects on bean aphid infestations. A high bean aphid incidence (38.13%) was observed in Njoro compared to Rongai (31.10%). Dolichos monocrop had significantly higher bean aphid infestation (51.63%) than the maize-dolichos intercrop system (24.62%). A highly diverse Shannon-weaver index was observed in Rongai (1.90) compared to Njoro (1.67). Dolichos monocrop had a more diverse Shannon-weaver index (1.8) than the maize- dolichos intercrop system (1.7). Rongai had the most abundant annual and perennial field margin vegetation species. The field margin species richness and diversity were higher in Rongai (81%) than in Njoro (54%). The findings of this study have demonstrated that a maize-dolichos intercrop in Rongai can reduce bean aphid damage in dolichos.

Botanical insecticides offer an environmentally benign insect pest management option for field crops with reduced impacts on natural enemies of pests and pollinators while botanically rich field margins can augment their abundance. Here we evaluated the non-target effects on natural enemies and pest control efficacy on bean aphids in Lablab of three neem and pyrethrum based botanical insecticides (Pyerin75EC®, Nimbecidine® and Pyeneem 20EC®) and determine the influence of florally rich field margin vegetation on the recovery of beneficial insects after treatment. The botanical insecticides were applied at early and late vegetative growth stages. Data was collected on aphids (abundance, damage severity and percent incidence) and natural enemy (abundance) both at pre-spraying and post-spraying alongside Lablab bean yield. The efficacy of botanical insecticides was similar to a synthetic pesticide control and reduced aphid abundance by 88% compared to the untreated control. However, the number of natural enemies was 34% higher in botanical insecticide treated plots than in plots treated with the synthetic insecticide indicating that plant-based treatments were less harmful to beneficial insects. The presence of field margin vegetation increased further the number of parasitic wasps and tachinid flies by 16% and 20%, respectively. This indicated that non-crop habitat can enhance recovery in beneficial insect populations and that botanical insecticides integrate effectively with conservation biological control strategies. Higher grain yields of 2.55-3.04 and 2.95-3.23 t/ha were recorded for both botanical insecticide and synthetic insecticide in the presence of florally enhanced field margins in consecutive cropping seasons. Overall, these data demonstrated that commercial botanical insecticides together with florally rich field margins offer an integrated, environmentally benign and sustainable alternative to synthetic insecticides for insect pest management and increased productivity of the orphan crop legume, Lablab.

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) are the two important biotic constraints affecting cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Deployment of cassava varieties dually resistant to both diseases is the most effective and realistic way of reducing losses to African farmers. Crosses were carried out between the Tanzanian local cassava variety Namikonga (CBSD resistant/CMD susceptible) with an introduced cassava germplasm AR37-80 (CBSD susceptible/CMD resistant) from South America to develop dually resistant F1 progenies and they were evaluated for 2 seasons at Naliendele in Southern Tanzania which is a CMD and CBSD hotspot area. CMD-resistant progenies had low foliar severities (≤ 1.8 on a five-point scale) similar to CMD resistant parent. CBSD resistant progenies had minimal foliar severity (≤2.0) and root necrosis (≤1.2) similar to the CBSD resistant parent while CBSD tolerant progenies had severe foliar severity of up to 3.3 but minimal root severity (≤ 1.2). Traits with minimal environmental influence also had high heritability (≥0.65) and high selection accuracy (≥0.70) and they included CMD foliar symptoms, CBSD foliar symptoms at 6 MAP, root necrosis, root necrosis incidence, root weight, root number per plant, and harvest index. Correlation analysis showed that the presence of diseases reduces usable roots, root weight, root number per plant, and harvest index. Dual resistance can improve yield as observed in the progenies, Namar 050 and Namar 371 which had high root weights of 27.5 t/ha and 28.2 t/ha with high genetic gains of 56.1% and 58.5%, respectively. Dual resistant progenies identified were Namar 050, Namar 100, Namar 130, Namar 200, Namar 334, Namar 371, and Namar 479 as they had minimal CMD and CBSD symptoms severity (≤ 2.0) and could be used for breeding cassava varieties with superior characteristics.

Stripe rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a major threat to wheat (Triticum spp.) production worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the virulence of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici races prevalent in the main wheat growing regions of Kenya, which includes Mt. Kenya, Eastern Kenya, and the Rift Valley (Central, Southern, and Northern Rift). Fifty P. striiformis f. sp. tritici isolates collected from 1970 to 1992 and from 2009 to 2014 were virulence phenotyped with stripe rust differential sets, and 45 isolates were genotyped with sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers to differentiate the isolates and identify aggressive strains PstS1 and PstS2. Virulence corresponding to stripe rust resistance genes Yr1, Yr2, Yr3, Yr6, Yr7, Yr8, Yr9, Yr17, Yr25, and Yr27 and the seedling resistance in genotype Avocet S were detected. Ten races were detected in the P. striiformis f. sp. tritici samples obtained from 1970 to 1992, and three additional races were detected from 2009 to 2014, with a single race being detected in both periods. The SCAR markers detected both Pst1 and Pst2 strains in the collection. Increasing P. striiformis f. sp. tritici virulence was found in the Kenyan P. striiformis f. sp. tritici population, and different P. striiformis f. sp. tritici race groups were found to dominate different wheat growing regions. Moreover, recent P. striiformis f. sp. tritici races in East Africa indicated possible migration of some race groups into Kenya from other regions. This study is important in elucidating P. striiformis f. sp. tritici evolution and virulence diversity and useful in breeding wheat cultivars with effective resistance to stripe rust.

Botanical insecticides offer an environmentally benign insect pest management option for field crops with reduced impacts on natural enemies of pests and pollinators while botanically rich field margins can augment their abundance. Here, we evaluated the non-target effects on natural enemies and pest control efficacy on bean aphids in Lablab of three neem- and pyrethrum-based botanical insecticides (Pyerin75EC®, Nimbecidine® and Pyeneem 20EC®) and determine the influence of florally rich field margin vegetation on the recovery of beneficial insects after treatment. The botanical insecticides were applied at the early and late vegetative growth stages. Data were collected on aphids (abundance, damage severity and percent incidence) and natural enemy (abundance) both at pre-spraying and post-spraying alongside Lablab bean yield. The efficacy of botanical insecticides was similar to a synthetic pesticide control and reduced aphid abundance by 88% compared with the untreated control. However, the number of natural enemies was 34% higher in botanical insecticide-treated plots than in plots treated with synthetic insecticide indicating that plant-based treatments were less harmful to beneficial insects. The presence of field margin vegetation increased further the number of parasitic wasps and tachinid flies by 16% and 20%, respectively. This indicated that non-crop habitats can enhance recovery in beneficial insect populations and that botanical insecticides integrate effectively with conservation biological control strategies. Higher grain yields of 2.55-3.04 and 2.95-3.23 t/ha were recorded for both botanical insecticide and synthetic insecticide in the presence of florally enhanced field margins in consecutive cropping seasons. Overall, these data demonstrated that commercial botanical insecticides together with florally rich field margins offer an integrated, environmentally benign and sustainable alternative to synthetic insecticides for insect pest management and increased productivity of the orphan crop legume, Lablab.

BACKGROUND\ud Hymenopteran parasitoids provide key natural pest regulation services and are reared commercially as biological control agents. Therefore, understanding parasitoid community composition in natural populations is important to enable better management for optimized natural pest regulation. We carried out a field study to understand the parasitoid community associated with Aphis fabae on East African smallholder farms. Either common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) or lablab (Lablab purpureus) sentinel plants were infested with Aphis fabae and deployed in 96 fields across Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi.\ud RESULTS\ud A total of 463 parasitoids emerged from sentinel plants of which 424 were identified by mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding. Aphidius colemani was abundant in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, while Lysiphlebus testaceipes was only present in Malawi. The identity of Aphidius colemani specimens were confirmed by sequencing LWRh and 16S genes and was selected for further genetic and population analyses. A total of 12 Aphidius colemani haplotypes were identified. Of these, nine were from our East African specimens and three from the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD).\ud CONCLUSION\ud Aphidius colemani and Lysiphlebus testaceipes are potential targets for conservation biological control in tropical smallholder agro-ecosystems. We hypothesize that high genetic diversity in East African populations of Aphidius colemani suggests that this species originated in East Africa and has spread globally due to its use as a biological control agent. These East African populations could have potential for use as strains in commercial biological control or to improve existing Aphidius colemani strains by selective breeding.

An experiment to evaluate the bio-control potential of Leonotis nepetifolia and Ocimum gratissimum plant extracts against two-spotted spider mites on French beans was conducted in the field. Five plant extract concentrations (1.5%, 3.0%, 6.0% and 12.0% w/v) were applied with water and Abamectin 0.6 ml/L as controls. Mite counts were done before and after treatment application and expressed as corrected percent efficacy. The impact of the mites on the French beans was evaluated by recording percent leaf reduction and quality and quantity by number of pods, pod length, diameter and yield. There was a dose dependent response in percent mite and leaf reduction, number of pods and yield. Treatments applied at 12% w/v indicated higher mite reduction (82.75%) for L. nepetifolia and 69.06% for O. gratissimum compared to abamectin (65.76%). The lowest percent leaf reduction of 1.71% for L. nepetifolia 0.39% for O. gratissimum and abamectin (20.46%) was also at 12% w/v. Similarly, the highest number of pod (61.00) for L. nepetifolia, 48.67 for O. gratissimum compared to 28.33 abamectin and yield (0.88 kg) for L. nepetifolia and 0.90 kg for O. gratissimum was also recorded at 12% w/v compared to 0.36 kg for abamectin. There were no significant differences in pod diameter and pod length between the extracts concentrations and abamectin. The study demonstrated the efficacy of L. nepetifolia and O. gratissimum in managing two-spotted spider mite and subsequent increase in French bean yield under field conditions.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food and cash crop in Kenya. However, its production has declined over the years due to extensive nutrient mining without adequate replacement. A study was conducted to evaluate the response of potato grown under three soil types (Planosol, Andosol and Acrisol) using three fecal matter fertilizers (FMFs). This included vermicompost, normal compost and dried sludge. In addition, common fertilizer (urea and cow manure) was also used. Two greenhouse trials were laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replicates per treatment. Data collected on soil nutrient status, plant growth and yield variables were subjected to analysis of variance using Statistical Analysis Software v.9.1 and treatment means separated using Tukey’s test. Results showed that fecal matter fertilizers (FMF) , vermicompost and dried sludge, were equally effective in increasing (39.2-46.5%) the potato growth compared to untreated control. Fecal matter fertilizers also contributed to high yields, where vermicompost produced (12.3 t ha-1) 3 times more than untreated control (4.2 t ha-1) but the difference was not significant at P≤0.05 from urea, normal compost and sludge. The interaction between fertilizers and soil types was not significant at P≤0.05. Fecal matter fertilizers are thus ecologically viable alternative source of mineral nutrients for sustainable potato production. Key words: Acrisol, andosol, planosol, Solanum tuberosum, sludge, vermicompost.

Cassava landraces were evaluated for resistance to cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) for two cropping seasons at a disease hotspot area in Naliendele, Tanzania. Based on reactions to CBSD, several landraces including Chimaje, Mfaransa and Supa B were considered to be resistant to the disease while Kikwada, Mbuyu, and Nyoka were tolerant. ANOVA revealed that the largest sum of squares (SS) (41.9–86.7%) was attributed to the genotype of the cassava landraces, while a smaller proportion of SS (8.1–38.2%) was due to genotype by environment interactions for all traits tested, which included disease symptoms, root weight, number of roots per plant and dry matter content. Environment accounted for the smallest effect (0.01–26.3%), however, the mean squares was nonetheless significant for a few genotypes, which indicated that their disease expression was indeed influenced by the environment. Increased CBSD severity was associated with low temperatures and rainfall. Increased rainfall towards harvesting led to higher root weight but lower dry matter content in the first cropping season. Correlation analysis showed that the presence of CBSD symptoms reduces the amount of usable roots, total root weight, and root dry matter content. Many resistant/tolerant landraces also had high root weight and dry matter content, and they can be used by farmers to reduce CBSD losses. The landraces described here form novel sources of CBSD resistance that can be used for breeding disease-resistant cassava varieties with superior agronomic characteristics.

A farm survey was conducted in Kuria East and Suna West sub-counties to determine the incidence, severity and estimated losses of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) on cassava crops in farmers’ fields. The results showed that cassava is the second most important staple crop after maize in Migori County. CMD incidence ranged from 0.0 to 56.7%) in Kuria East and 10.0 to 55.0% in Suna West. CBSD incidences were much higher at 5.0 to 74.0% in Kuria East and 10.0 to 77.5% in Suna West. Both CMD and CBSD had an effect on yield reduction and total root loss ranged from 10.7 to 47.2% in Kuria East and 11.5 to 33.2 in Suna West. The percent mean total root loss in Kuria East was 25.9%; equivalent to 1299.6 US dollars/ha while in Suna East was 24.7%; equivalent to 1259.5 US dollars/ha. The best performing variety with regards to low CBSD and CMD incidence, low root losses and high yield were TMS 30572 and MH95/0183. The findings of this study are expected to provide impetus for the development and promotion of new high yielding, locally adapted and resistant cassava varieties. Key words: Cassava, CBSD, incidence, root necrosis, yield loss.

The leaf essential oils from Cupressus lusitanica, Miller and Eucalyptus saligna, Smith obtained by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC/MS and also screened for their insecticidal and repellent effects against adult Tribolium castaneum, Acanthoscelides obtectus, Sitotroga cerealella and Sitophilus zeamais. The C. lusitanica oil contained mainly umbellulone (18.38%) and α-pinene (9.97%) whereas the E. saligna oil was dominated by α-pinene (24.40%) and 1,8-cineole (24.26%). Bioassays showed that of the four insect species tested, A. obtectus and S. cerealella were the most susceptible to the oils, with LC50 values of 0.05–0.11% v/w in contact toxicity and 4.07–7.02 μl/L air in space fumigation. Except in T. castaneum with percentage repellence (PR) values of 65–92.5%, the other test insects recorded PR values less than 30%. The PR values decreased with exposure time in all insects except in T. castaneum. Our results show that C. lusitanica and E. saligna essential oils are promising insecticides and repellents to be used against insect pests of stored food grains.

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the key diseases of economic importance in wheat worldwide. Host resistance, which follows the gene-for-gene hypothesis between the host and pathogen, has been used in wheat lines to resolve resistance specificities and postulate resistant genes. The objective of this study was to elucidate stripe rust resistance in a collection of Kenyan wheat lines and Watkin landraces to identify new sources of stripe rust (Yr) resistance. In this study, the resistance in twenty wheat lines was determined by comparing their infection type with those of twenty differential lines using isolates representing twelve Puccinia striiformis races from Kenya, Denmark, U.K., Sweden, and Eritrea at the seedling stage. Among the twenty wheat lines, none was resistant to all the twelve Pst races and isolate DK02d/12 (&ldquo, Kranich&rdquo, race) was virulent on all the genotypes except wheat genotype &ldquo, Kenya Tai.&rdquo, This genotype (&ldquo, Kenya Tai&rdquo, ) had the highest resistance as it was resistant to all the twelve stripe rust races used in this study. From this study, the introduction and utilization of wheat genotypes with adult plant resistant (APR) stripe rust genes, such as Yr15, are important in breeding wheat genotypes with effective resistance to wheat stripe rust in Kenya and worldwide.

Cassava brown streak disease is endemic to the coastal regions of East Africa, and from around 2004, the disease resurged and became epidemic in the Great Lakes Region, where it continues to spread. In both these areas, cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) leaf symptoms occur at high incidences. However, it is the associated symptom of root rot (necrosis) in the starch-bearing tissues that renders the root unfit for human consumption. Because the extent of root necrosis is not known until the crop is harvested and surveys require destructive sampling, root symptoms are much less frequently assessed than are the above-ground symptoms on the leaves and stems. Surveys were undertaken in selected villages in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi to assess the incidence of CBSD leaf symptoms and the incidence and severity of root symptoms, to estimate the impact of the disease on household food security and on cassava processing. CBSD leaf symptoms were recorded at high incidences (40–90% in individual fields) in all fields visited throughout East Africa, but root necrosis incidence was lower than would be expected from the high incidence of leaf symptoms. Severe root necrosis at high incidence was found only on a few varieties, usually grown to a limited extent. It appears that varieties that are prone to root necrosis are being abandoned in favour of those with a lower propensity to develop root necrosis after infection by the virus.

Sorghum is a staple cereal crop that is well adapted to arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). It has a potential of assuring food security and livelihoods in the ASALs. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of sorghum grain conditions on occurrence of mycotoxin-producing fungi. Two kilograms of sorghum grains were sampled from the breeder’s crop at Egerton University research field and at a farmer’s field at Kampi Ya Moto. Sorghum was sampled at dough stage and at physiological maturity. Sorghum grains sampled at dough stage were divided into three sets. Set one was immediately examined for fungi; set two was sun dried for 21 h and set three was stored for a fortnight before being examined for fungi. Grains were plated on potato dextrose agar medium and incubated at 25 ± 2 °C for 7 days. Fungal colonies growing were sub-cultured and identified using a microscope and a standard mycological catalogue based on micro- and macro-morphological features. Identified fungi were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium species. Aflatoxins were detected in 37 samples using reverse-phased HPLC at a wavelength of 365 nm. The aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 were detected in 10.81, 5.41, 18.92 and 32.43 % of the samples, respectively. There was no aflatoxin detected on 32.42 % samples. These results would contribute to reduced risk of mycotoxin-producing fungi in sorghum grain, minimize grain losses and improve grain quality among smallholder farmers in sorghum growing areas. Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium species of fungi do occur in sorghum grain both in the field and in the store.