ABSTRACT Cassava storage root is a major staple. However, the tuber is poor in nutrients especially micronutrients. The study was conducted to improve the nutritional status of cassava with farmers’ preferred traits in Sierra Leone. The specific objectives were i) to assess adoption challenges, perception and preferences for provitamin A cassava among cassava value chain actors in Sierra Leone. ii) to estimate genetic diversity within provitamin A cassava germplasm using morphological, mole...
ABSTRACT Cowpea is an important grain legume crop for millions of humans, fodder for livestock and source of income for all the value chain actors. Its productivity is constrained by several biotic and abiotic stresses such as drought and poor soil fertility. Aligned with poor soil fertility in most growing areas, this thesis describes phosphorus (P) use and acquisition of elite cowpea lines from different breeding programmes. In the first chapter, a brief overview was provided about cowpea a...
ABSTRACT Rice is a major food crop in Sierra Leone with a high per capita consumption of 104 kg annually. Average yield (t/ha) is low, leading to a yield gap of 350,000 metric tons, which is met through import. A good number of rice farmers in Sierra Leone are cultivating on mangrove swamps, which are highly associated with salinity, resulting in the low average yield (tonnes per hectare). Salinity is a major abiotic stress devastating rice production in saline soils, including the mangrove e...
ABSTRACT Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the most important vegetable in Ghana in terms of area under cultivation and consumption, but production is challenged by lack of improved cultivars and the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease (TYLCD). In Ghana, tomato breeding programmes have focused on evaluation and screening of cultivars for fruit quality and resistance to the TYLCD but very little has been done to improve the crop through breeding. The objective of this study was to introgress TY...
ABSTRACT Maize is the most important cereal produced in the Bimodal Humid Forest Zone (BHFZ) of Cameroon. The yield of the crop in the BHFZ is very low because of the negative impact of soil acidity especially Al toxicity on plant growth. Liming increases soil pH levels reduces the level of Al saturation and boost productivity but it is costly and unavailable. Therefore, it becomes necessary to explore more sustainable and affordable ways of increasing the yield of the crop. The objective of...
ABSTRACT Sorghum is the second most important cereal crop after pearl millet in terms of area planted, production, and per capita consumption in Mali. Production of sorghum is declining due to several reasons including lack of sorghum hybrids and adapted varieties tolerant to drought. Evaluation of sorghum genotypes under different stresses would be useful for identifying genotypes that combine stability with high yield potential for stress-prone areas. The general objective of the study was ...
ABSTRACT Striga hermonthica (Del.) and low soil nitrogen (low N) are among the most important constraints to maize production and productivity in West Africa (WA). Knowledge and understanding of the inheritance of Striga resistance and low N tolerance in early maturing maize inbreds are invaluable in developing hybrids adapted to both low N and Striga-infested environments in WA. The objectives of the present study were to (i) assess the genetic diversity among the inbred lines using simple s...
ABSTRACT Niger’s rice production has not been able to match growth in demand. The slow growth in domestic rice production has been attributed to salinity, non-adapted germplasm, and low farmer adoption of improved varieties. This study was carried out to: determine farmers’ perception on influence of salinity in rice production and their preference for rice varieties in salt affected areas; identify potential sources of genes for salt tolerance from local and exotic rice germplasm; determ...
ABSTRACT Agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is under serious threat due to water shortage, population pressure and climate change. Cowpea, a protein-rich legume crop complements staple cereal and tuber crops in the diets of rural and urban people of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It therefore, plays a significant role in the sustainability of food and nutrition security in SSA. Cowpea, though reported to be inherently drought tolerant; but because it is mostly grown...
ABSTRACT The potential of cowpea to address food security in Burkina Faso in particular is well established. However, there is limited information on drought tolerance and diversity in the germplasm in Burkina Faso and farmers’ perceptions on the effects of drought and their varietal preferences are not known. The present study was, therefore, conducted to: (1) identify farmers’ perceptions on the impact of drought on cowpea production and identify their preferences regarding cultivar...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted in the Northern guinea and Sudan savannas of Zaria and Kano, Nigeria to: (i) identify cowpea production constraints and assess farmer and consumer perceptions and preferences on grain quality traits in cowpea, (ii) assess the variability of grain nutritional values (protein, iron and zinc contents) of cowpea accessions from Africa and other parts of the world, (iii) determine the mode of inheritance of iron and zinc contents in cowpea grains and (iv) determin...
ABSTRACT Cowpea (Vigna unguiculatan (L.) Walp.) is a grain legume cultivated worldwide in over 14 million ha but its productivity in Senegal is seriously affected by the infestation of Striga gesnerioides (Wild.) Vatke, a parasitic weed. Striga resistance is an important trait that is missing to most cultivated varieties in Senegal. Its negative effect on cowpea is exacerbated by drought which is a threat to agriculture. The present dissertation describes various optionstaken on the improvem...
ABSTRACT Sorghum is a staple crop and a major source of food and energy for the World’s developing countries. However, its utilization as human food is constrained by the low availability of its proteins after wet cooking which could lead to malnutrition, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. West Africa has a great diversity of sorghum yet, its study and use for improved protein digestibility remains unexplored. To provide knowledge on the characterization of West African sorghum germplasm for...
ABSTRACT In Togo, the quantity of rice produced is very low compared to the needs of the country. Farmers and consumers prefer aromatic rice. The main objective of this research was to increase the local production and supply farmers with aromatic and higher yielding varieties. It was conducted to lay the foundation of a rice breeding programme in Togo. Therefore, the research investigated farmers’ preferences and production constraints, established a germplasm collection and studied its g...
ABSTRACT Genetic diversity provides the capacity for plants to meet changing environments and farmers' preferences, and to establish heterotic patterns, essential for an efficient and sustainable hybrid breeding program. Group interviews and formal surveys were conducted in North and South-Sudan agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso to assess farmers’ preferences and evaluate their perception of constraints to maize production. Fifty-nine INERA and forty one elite CIMMYT, IITA, U.S and Euro...