Abstract: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important legumes and is high in protein, low in fat, and rich in vitamins and dietary fiber. The regular consumption of common bean can reduce coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, and cancer. Assessing the causes and magnitude of variation is the key to success in crop improvement program. This study was therefore conducted to determine the nature and magnitude of genetic variability and association of yield and yield rel...
Abstract: The study was carried out to assess the genetic variability and association Using Morphological Markers among faba bean genotypes. Faba bean have a long tradition of cultivation in old world agriculture, being among the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow. Utilizing a selection of faba bean that have variation in their morphological attributes. Twelve faba bean genotypes were evaluated in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicati...
Abstract: This study was conducted in HU poultry farm with the objective of evaluating and comparing production and reproduction performances, heterosis and combining ability up to the age at first egg laying for pure, straight and reciprocal crosses of Koekoek and White Leghorn poultry breeds. Two pure breeds of chickens namely Koekoek (KK) and White Leghorn (WH) were used in 2×2 diallel crossing experiment by AI mating system. From a total of 172 chickens (12 cocks and 160 hens), 3 cocks ...
Abstract: In Ethiopia, a lot of improved bread wheat varieties have been released; however, the released varieties from different research centers were not tested at Gitilo Dale, Western Ethiopia for their genetic variability and association of traits in bread wheat varieties. In view of this, the study was conducted in Western Ethiopia at Gitlo Dale, Horroo Guduruu Wollega, with the objectives of determining the extent of genetic variability and association of traits with grain yield and th...
Abstract: Fairy shrimps (Anostraca) constitute an important component of seasonally aquatic habitats, but few complete mitochondrial genomes have been published for this group. Here, we report the mitoge nome of a common southern African species, Streptocephalus cafer, from Botswana (accession number: MN720104). Low-coverage shotgun sequencing recovered two contigs 15653 bp and 1347 bp in length that are separated by a repetitive region of unknown length within the non-coding control region....
Abstract: We report on the first meeting of SMBE in Africa. SMBE Malawi was initiated to bring together African and international researchers who use genetics or genomics to study natural systems impacted by human activities. The goals of this conference were 1) to reach a world-class standard of science with a large number of contributions from Africa, 2) to initiate exchange between African and international researchers, and 3) to identify challenges and opportunities for evolutionary geno...
Abstract: The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama) is a key pest of Citrus sp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterial pathogen that causes citrus Huanglongbing. Diaphorina citri has been reported in Kenya,Tanzania, and more recently in Ethiopia. This study assessed the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of the pest to gain insights into the potential sources of its introduction into Africa. Population structure and diff...
Abstract: Stingless bees are important pollinators of cultivated and wild plants, contributing significantly to biodiversity and foodsecurity. Conserving pollinator plant interactions is essential to secure these ecosystems services. The use ofmorphological features in the identification of stingless bees in the genusHypotrigonais extremely difficult, due to manysimilarities among species resulting in taxonomic ambiguity. Here, we apply both traditional morphometrics and DNAbarcoding as ompl...
Abstract: Outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging tick-borne pathogens are becoming more frequent worldwide. Surveillance is critical to improve our understanding of pathogen diversity and their tick vectors. This will elucidate disease transmission dynamics that can inform the development of better disease prevention and control strategies. A total of 4,324 questing ticks (209 adult ticks, 586 nymphs and 3,502 larvae) were collected from six sites in Kenya‟s Shimba Hills National Reserve (S...
Abstract: Bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus are entomopathogens that produce insecticidal protein toxins against a wide range of insects. The main proteins involved are the Xenorhabdus protein toxins (Xpts), categorized as class A, B and C. They work best as a complex, though individually, XptA has been found to be more potent against some insect pests such as Pieris brassicae and Heliothis virescens. The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus) a...
Abstract: Xenorhabdus spp. (Enterobacteriaceae) are endosymbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes from the Steinernema genus. They cause insect mortality by producing potent insecticidal toxin complexes composed of XptA1, XptA2 (class A), XptB1 (class C) and XptC1 (Class B) proteins. However, the use of only the bacterium as a biopesticide is limited as they depend on their nematode hosts for survival in the environment. The XptAs exhibit different spectra of activity, requiring XptB1 and XptC...
Abstract: Aphids are the major pests of vegetables leading to a significant yield loss in African indigenous vegetables including amaranth and nightshades. Information on the types of aphids that infest these vegetables and their genetic diversity in Kenya and Tanzania is scanty. This is an important diagnostic component in developing management strategies such as integrated pest management and early detection and control of invasive species. This study used a fragment of the mitochondrial c...