ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis (also known as Bilharzia) is a disease caused by species of parasitic worms or helminths of the genus Schistosoma. It continues to be a serious world wide public health problem. The pathological changes in schistosome infestations are caused mainly by the deposition of the eggs into various tissues and organs where granulomas or pseudo tubercles are formed around them. Schistosomes and their intermediate snail hosts are integral parts of the freshwater aquatic en...
ABSTRACT In Kenya maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important staple food. Owing to its predominant role, food security in the future cannot be achieved without major increases in cereal production. An efficient in vitro regeneration and transformation system holds a great potential for genetic improvement of maize against production constraints. This study was conducted with the objective of assessing the regenerative capacity, genetic transformation of Kenyan maize genotypes and efficacy of ...
ABSTRACT Cassava has been recognized as an important crop to more than 600 million people around the world prompting scientists to look for ways to improve the crop’s nutritive qualities, enhance its resistance to diseases and pests; reduce its levels of cyanide toxicity and reduce the crop’s rate of postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD). To develop improved cassava, genetic engineering is being used as a tool to deliver genes of interest directly into farmer preferred varieties....
ABSTRACT Coffee provides one of the most widely drunk beverages in the world, and is a very important source of foreign exchange income for many countries. In kenya, coffee production has a significant contribution to Kenya‟s economy for decades, and a high proportion of the coffee produced is considered the best quality coffee in the world. In coffee, morphological parameters are very often used to discriminate the varieties and hybrids. However, this exercise has some challenges that incl...
ABSTRACT Rice cooking and eating qualities are mostly determined by the grain’s starch content which is composed of amylose and amylopectin. Amylose content is regarded as the most important indicator in classifying rice varieties in terms of starch content. Waxy gene located on chromosome 6 codes for Granule Bound Starch Synthase (GBBS) enzyme which is involved in biocatalysis of amylose synthesis in rice endosperm. In addition, amylopectin content influences gelatinization temperature in ...
ABSTRACT Finger millet is an important cereal cultivated in Eastern Africa as well as Southern India. It is a staple crop that is characterized by ability to thrive on a variety of environmental conditions, excellent grain storage quality and ability to withstand significant levels of salinity. Scientific research aimed at improving this important cereal has been negligible and it is regarded as one of the orphaned crop species. The aim of this project was to isolate microsatellite markers f...
ABSTRACT The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae is a worldwide aphid species which is responsible for important economic losses. Its feed on more than 50 plant families, causing great losses to agro industrial crops, vegetables, horticultural crops and stone fruits and it is presently categorized as one of the most important agricultural pests worldwide. Conventional insecticides used for aphids control are expensive and arguably associated with various severe adverse side effects hence the n...
ABSTRACT Africa is a drought prone continent making farming risky especially to small-scale farmers who depend on rain-fed agriculture. Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa with more than 300 million people depending on it as their main food source. Drought leads to crop failure, hunger and poverty and this is being worsened by climate change. There is therefore need to develop drought tolerant maize. Conventional breeding methods have been applied in the development of droug...
ABSTRACT Malaria is one of the major parasitic diseases in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year, malaria causes 300 to 500 million infections and 1.5 to 3 million deaths. The disease accounts for 20% of all global childhood deaths. There are major problems of drug resistance, particularly to chloroquine which has been the mainstay of malaria treatment, especially in Africa because of its low cost and minimal side effec...
ABSTRACT Mosquitoes are the primary vectors of arboviral infections. As there are no vaccines or effective therapeutic treatments for these diseases, vector control is an important approach for curbing their circulation or transmission. These vectors spend the first three of their four life stages in aquatic habitats where fitness and efficiency of adult mosquitoes to transmit arboviral infections is greatly influenced. Understanding ecology of mosquitoes in their aquatic habitats is therefo...
ABSTRACT Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial native soil bacteria that colonize plant roots and result in increased plant growth. Those that colonise the nodules of legumes are known as nodule associated bacteria (NAB). The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and genetic diversity of NAB that colonize Phaseolus vulgaris, their abundance, and symbiotic efficiency when coinoculated with Phaseolus vulgaris in Western Kenya soils. The soil samples were colle...
ABSTRACT Striga is an obligate root hemi-parasitic angiosperm that causes devastating cereal crop losses to millions of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The parasite causes the greatest effects on infertile soils thereby directly affecting the lives of the poorest subsistence farmers. The parasite attaches to a host crop‘s roots, and exploits its water and nutrients leading to stunted growth and death. Several cultural control methods including; crop rotation, use of trap c...
ABSTRACT Plantains are among staple foods in Africa. Worldwide, Musa spp. have an annual production of 88 million tonnes. Nematodes cause significant annual yield losses to these crops. The losses are estimated at about 20% worldwide. The most disastrous nematodes are Radopholus similis and Platylenchus goodeyi. Genetic improvement of the crops by conventional breeding has proved to be laborious and time consuming. Transgenic technology can offer sustainable solutions to the problem of contro...
ABSTRACT Rice, the second most important cereal crop globally, is mainly grown for food and is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. In sub-Saharan Africa biotic stresses and lack of resources are major production constraints to food production. An estimated yield loss of 16% attributed to weed infestation is recorded in the region with Striga spp. being the most prominent. Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica constrain production of cereals while Striga gesnerioides...
Abstract Sorghum is a subsistence and staple crop for many people living across Africa especially those in marginal arid and semi-arid tropics. While it is a staple food for millions of people in Africa, livestock feeding accounts for most of the sorghum used in the developed world especially in USA, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa. Among the major impediments to successful sorghum production is drought. This constraint is considered the most important cause of yield reduction in crop pla...