Department of Agricultural Resources and Economics

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/20.500.12092/1808

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Kenya

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Salinity tolerance, growth and survival of three Artemia franciscana (Kellogg, 1906) populations under laboratory conditions
    (Wiley, 2024-04) Ngarari, Morine M.; Rugendo, Derrick G.; Nyonje, Betty M.; Hinzano, Sheban M.; Midumbi, David O.; Ngugi, Charles C.; Gatune, Charles W.
    In the 1980s, Artemia franciscana from San Francisco Bay (SFB) was introduced into Kenyan saltworks, where it has colonized and established stable populations. However, little is known about its biology, particularly with respect to its parental SFB population. This study compared the salinity tolerances of Kenyan (KEN) population, their SFB progenitors and those of Great Salt Lake (GSL) populations. Growth and survival of these A. franciscana populations were evaluated under varying salinity levels in a laboratory set up. A. franciscana nauplii were cultured at a rate of 1 nauplii/mL in 36 Erlenmeyer flasks and fed microalgae (Chaetoceros sp.) at 1.5 × 106 cells/animal/day for 8 days. Survival was evaluated daily and survivors were fixed in individual vials with Lugol solution. The total length of each fixed A. franciscana nauplii specimen was measured under a compound microscope. All populations were susceptible to salinities greater than 100 g/L. Compared with the parental SFB population, the KEN population exhibited significantly reduced survival and growth at 140 g/L, suggesting a narrower salinity tolerance range. These findings underscore the need for further studies focusing on other physiological parameters, abiotic factors and genetic characterization to confirm whether the KEN population is experiencing ecological adaptation. This will contribute to the optimization of Artemia practices in various salinity environments as a result of climate change.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Genetic mapping and identification of quantitative trait loci for yield and drought tolerance in tea
    (2015) Kamunya, S.M.; Kireger, E.K.; Wachira, F.N.; Sharma, R.S.; Korir, R.; Maritim, T; Kiplang’at, J.; Sharma, V.; Chalo, R.; Ahuja, P.S.
    Accelerated breeding and selection of improved tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) cultivars requires sound knowledge and understanding of genetics associated with desirable attributes.Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for yield and drought tolerance in tea was performed using 42 F1 clonal progeny derived from a cross between tea cultivars TRFCA SFS150 and AHP S15/10 that had been established at two distinct tea growing regions in Kenya. The 100 informative markers identified in the cross that exhibited 1:1 segregation ratio were used to construct a linkage map of tea. The map consisted of 30 (19 maternal and 11 paternal) linkage groups that spanned 1411.5 cM with mean interval of 14.7 cM between loci. QTL analysis was carried out for yield and drought tolerance produced nine putative yieldQTLs and 13QTLs for drought tolerance. None of theQTLs was congruently detected in the two sites owing to G x E interactions. Markers OPT-18- 2500 and OPO-02-900 had pleiotropic effects in that they were significantly associated with yield at Timbilil (YLD-T; P = 0.007) and drought tolerance at Kangaita (DT-K; P = 0.003). The implications of the current study with respect to mapping population, G x E and marker-assisted selection are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Addressing the education and training needs of the tea sector in Kenya: The case of the School of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Karatina University
    (2015) Kamotho, G.N.; Mathenge, P.W.; Kamiri, H.W
    In Kenya, personnel working in the tea sector are drawn from various fields of specialization such as general agriculture, horticulture, engineering and economics. There are no special training programmes to train personnel at degree, diploma and certificate levels on tea in the country. The training needs assessment carried out by Tetralink Taylor and Associates East Africa in 2010, observed that there are training needs for each segment along the tea value chain. It is against this background that the School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Karatina University recognized the training gap in tea value chain and decided to design and mount specialized programmes in tea. The paper was informed by the Training Needs Report of 2010 by the Tetralink Taylor and Associates East Africa and other secondary data from published articles on tea. From the documentary analysis, it was established that training of personnel for tea sector was long overdue. Karatina University has taken the right direction towards this crucial aspect of human resource capacity building. It is recommended that Karatina University be a centre of excellence for tea information resource and develop more tea academic programmes for manpower training at bachelors, master and doctorate degree levels.
©Karatina University