School of Agriculture and Biotechnology
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Item Evaluation of drought tolerance in some Kenyan bread wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) at seedling stage(2019-11-02) Githinji, Gerald G.; Kinyua, Miriam; Kiplagat, Oliver; Birithia, Rael K.Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is the second largest contributor to food security in Kenya. However, water deficiency retards plant growth and productivity significantly. With few drought tolerant varieties available, there is need to develop more drought tolerant wheat varieties. Objective of this study was to screen for drought tolerance in the mutant wheat lines at seedling stage. Seeds of two wheat varieties were subjected to gamma radiation at an irradiation dose of 300 gy (gray). The mutants and two local varieties – Chozi and Duma (controls) were sown in polythene bags in a complete randomized design and screened for various seedling traits. Data were analysed using ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Results indicated that Mutant 1 and Mutant 2 had high emergence percentage, emergence index, energy emergence and per cent seedling recovery compared to local varieties Chozi and Duma. Emergency percentage showed a positive correlation with the following parameters; emergence index (r = 0.965); Energy of emergency (r = 0.990) and Percentage seedling recovery (r = 0.941). It was recommended that the mutant wheat be screened for other biotic and abiotic stresses that affect wheat production in Kenya.Item Farmer knowledge, management practices and occurrence of tomato root knot nematodes in Kenya.(2023-08) Birithia, Rael K.; Kuria, D.K.Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) (Meloidogyne spp.) is a major constraint to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production in sub-Saharan Africa; yet there is low adoption of recommended nematode control measures in regions like east Africa due to inadequate farmer knowledge about the pest and associated diseases. The objective of this study was to assess farmers’ knowledge status, and intensity of damage of root-knot nematodes and their management practices in Kenya. A survey was conducted in Kenya, during February to August 2021; using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 282 randomly selected household heads of actively growing tomato farmers, at two elevations in three counties. Most farmers (98.9%) could not identify the disease precisely. They mostly attributed its symptoms to moisture stress and nutrient deûciencies. Most farmers (63%) practiced mono-cropping; while only 4.3% of farmers amended soils with manure. Respondents preferred growing RKN susceptible tomato varieties, mainly Rio-Grande, Cal J, Onyx and Kilele FI. A total of 92% expressed willingness to shift to RKNs resistant varieties, if recommended varieties match their desirable characteristics. Majority of the respondents lacked knowledge on nematode characteristics and its associated disease control. A total of 37.9% of the respondents did not use control measures against the RKNs. There was high disease incidence, severity and galling index in the surveyed areas.