Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is a destructive disease caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm) bacterium that indiscriminately infects all banana varieties grown in East and Central Africa (ECA). In this region, BXW was first reported in 2001 in Uganda and was projected to eliminate >90% of Uganda’s bananas worth US$4 billion if not controlled in less than 10 years. Lack of basic information led to application of control approaches that were based on similarity of BXW symptoms to those of Moko disease of bananas.

This report aims to provide a structured analysis of a stakeholder assessment related to
sustainable animal productivity for livelihoods, nutrition, and Gender Inclusion in Mali. This
analysis is part of the CGIAR initiative SAPLING, with the primary goal of understanding and
identifying the role of various stakeholders, their potential contributions, and avenues for
collaboration to ensure the successful implementation of SAPLING’s innovation packages
(IP) and the desired outcomes of the initiative. This work aims at: i) Identifying wich relevant

The OMICAS alliance is part of the Colombian government’s Scientific Ecosystem, established between 2017-2018 to promote world-class research, technological advancement and improved competency of higher education across the nation. Since the program’s kick-off, OMICAS has focused on consolidating and validating a multi-scale, multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary strategy and infrastructure to advance discoveries in plant science and the development of new technological solutions for improving agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Enteric methane (CH4) emitted by ruminant species is known as one of the main greenhouse gases produced by the agricultural sector.

A desirable tester that elicits greater genetic difference in Striga resistance among test crosses in a breeding program has not been reported. Therefore, this study was conducted to characterize 30 Striga resistant yellow endosperm maize inbred lines and three testers with varying resistance levels to Striga using DArTseq SNP markers and agronomic traits to identify a suitable tester for resistance hybrid breeding. Marker-based and agronomic trait-based genetic distances were estimated for yellow endosperm maize inbred lines and testers with varying resistance levels to Striga.

Plant growth and development is adversely affected by different kind of stresses. One of the major abiotic stresses, salinity, causes complex changes in plants by influencing the interactions of genes. The modulated genetic regulation perturbs metabolic balance, which may alter plant’s physiology and eventually causing yield losses. To improve agricultural output, researchers have concentrated on identification, characterization and selection of salt tolerant varieties and genotypes, although, most of these varieties are less adopted for commercial production.

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are found in citrus plantations throughout the world, but they are considered to be the most problematic pest in Morocco. Citrus fruit quality and yield have been adversely affected by PPNs. Due to data unavailability of nematodes associated with citrus, a detailed survey was conducted in the main citrus-growing regions of Morocco during 2020–2021 to assess the occurrence, distribution, and diversity of PPNs associated with rhizospheres of citrus trees. In addition, some soil properties have also been assessed for their impact on soil properties.

Aflatoxin contamination of staple crops by Aspergillus flavus and closely related fungi is common across the Sahel region of Africa. Aflatoxins in maize, groundnut, and sorghum collected at harvest or from farmers’ stores within two weeks of harvest from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were quantified. Thereafter, aflatoxin exposure values were assessed using per capita consumption rates of those crops. Mean aflatoxin concentrations in maize were high, 128, 517, and 659 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively.

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.

Several species of herbivores feed on maize in field and storage setups, making the development of multiple insect resistance a critical breeding target. In this study, an association mapping panel of 341 tropical maize lines was evaluated in three field environments for resistance to fall armyworm (FAW), whilst bulked grains were subjected to a maize weevil (MW) bioassay and genotyped with Diversity Array Technology’s single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers.

A hemiparasitic plant, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth and soil nitrogen stress are the key constraints to maize (Zea mays L.) productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, where commonly cultivated maize is the normal endosperm type that is deficient in provitamin A, tryptophan and lysine (PVATL). Seventy-six extra-early maize inbreds with provitamin A, tryptophan, and lysine qualities (TZEEIORQ) were developed to address these constraints, and four checks were assessed under Striga, low and high nitrogen conditions at three locations in Nigeria.

Low-temperature stress (LTS) is among the major abiotic stresses affecting the geographical distribution and productivity of the most important crops. Understanding the genetic basis of photosynthetic variation under cold stress is necessary for developing more climate-resilient barley cultivars. To that end, we investigated the ability of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (FVFM, and FVF0) to respond to changes in the maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II photochemistry as an indicator of photosynthetic energy.