Pests

: 27 April 2018; Hits: 8015

How to stop deadly rice disease

Rice farmers in Kenya can control the deadly rice blast disease that causes 60 to 100 per cent yield losses by planting resistant seed varieties, using less nitrogen fertilizer and chemical control.

Rice ranks as the third most important cereal after wheat and maize in Kenya and contributes 20 per cent of the total calories intake by human beings.

A research done by International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation and other partners in Mwea rice growing region over the last four years revealed that 76 per cent of farmers in the area had been affected by the disease attributed to excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer, lack of proper drainage and water shortage.

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The disease has affected rice production in Kenya estimated to be less than 200,000 tonnes per year against a demand of 450,000 tonnes.

Last year, rice production in Mwea dropped by from 830,000 bags in 2016 to 498,000 bags thus pushing rice prices up by 38 per cent. It also saw the value of rice imports increase from Sh15.89bn to Sh6.6bn

Mwea accounts for 80 per cent of the total rice produced in the country.

Mwea Rice 1

A farmer working in Mwea rice scheme/photo/file

Most farmers in the region plant basmatic rice variety believed to be susceptible to the rice blast disease.

The disease attacks the crop at any stage of growth and is characterized by dying of affected plant parts, neck rot and blast or lesions on shoots and roots.

To curb this, destroy all infected crops and manage water by continuous flooding by maintaining three to five centimeters water depth from early tillering to grain filling stage.

KALRO recommends varieties such as IR2793-80-1, ITA 310 and sindano which are tolerant to the disease and have potential yields of 35 to 40 bags per acre compared to basmati which has potential yields of 23 to 28 bags.

To avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer it is recommended 80kg/ha in two splits at the planting stage and after the booting stage. Rice husks can be used to as a source of silicon.

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: 25 April 2018; Hits: 7251

How to control deadly maize weed

Farmers can control striga weed and maize stalk-borer by planting desmodium, a leguminous plant that also increases soil fertility through nitrogen provision and is a good source of feed for cows.

According to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), striga weed infests over 20m ha of crops in sub-Saharan Africa each year causing losses estimated at Sh100bn thereby affecting over 100m people who depend on agriculture and specifically maize to sustain their livelihoods.

In East Africa, the weed infests over 1.4m hectares yearly with Kenya accounting for 340,000 ha of the total land invaded by the weed.

The striga weed normally causes stunted growth of cereal crops like maize and wheat by attaching itself to the roots of the host plant extracting essential nutrients and moisture necessary for growth.

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Research by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization reveals that farmers in areas affected by striga weed can plant desmodium in between the rows of maize to stop the weed which also repels the maize stalk-borer by pushing it away from the plant.

striga

Maize infested by striga weed

Alternatively, farmers planting Napier grass around maize plants intercropped with maize helps push away the female stalk-borer by the desmodium which is then pulled to the Napier where nine out of 10 stalk-borers will be killed by the sticky glue in the Napier stem.

Farmers can obtain desmodium seeds from certified seed merchants such as the Kenya Seed Company with one acre needing two kilos.

The seeds are planted on a fine seedbed on furrows 11/2 feet apart. It is recommended that the seeds be mixed with triple superphosphate fertilizer at the rate of one 50kg bag per acre and covered with a little soil.

Farmers can hand weed their field six weeks after planting or whenever they see weeds appear.

To control aphids and bollworms affecting desmodium, spray with dimethoate chemicals at two weeks intervals at the rate.

An acre can produce 30 to 60kg of desmodium seeds which farmers can sell at Sh1000 per kg.

While green, desmodium can be conserved so as to be used as animal feed during the dru season.

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: 19 April 2018; Hits: 5318

University receives machine to control aflatoxin from Mexican government

The Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology has received a machine meant to control aflatoxin in crops such as maize in a bid to boost food security and health at a time when 3.4m Kenyans are staring at starvation due to a drop in maize production, Kenya’s staple food.

In 2004 for instance, 125 Kenyans died after consuming aflatoxin infested food. In 2017, a research conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) revealed that 99 per cent of preserved milk in the country had presence of toxins observed to be dangerous to human health and a major cause of cancer with 40,000 people diagnosed of the disease in 2017 up from 20,000 in 2012.

The machine would enable maize to be treated with lime, cooked and dried to produce soft cooking flour and other related maize-based food products such as porridge flour in a process referred to as nixtamalization technology. This would help reduce post-harvest losses and help smallholder farmers earn from value addition of crops.

In Kenya maize farmers use aflasafe chemicals to tame the spread of the toxins which is usually applied before flowering but the pesticide has not been very effecive.

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“I will be glad to see this technology actualized by JKUAT and further promoted to benefit small scale local farmers in Kenya,” said Dr. Johnson Irungu, the directorate of agriculture in charge of crops and development.

aflatoxin infested maize

Aflatoxin infested maize

Dr. Irungu said that the government will support the university in ensuring that over 100 small and medium enterprises are trained on the technology so as to empower them and achieve self-independence towards boosting food security.

The technology will be spearheaded by Mexican embassy in Kenya, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Reduction of aflatoxin would enable children eat nutritious food thus reduce the chances of malnutrition with UNICEF report released in September 2017 indicating that 73,000 children in Kenya are malnourished and are at risk of dying due to hunger and eating of un-balanced food diets.

According to UNICEF, highest rates of malnutrition were witnessed in East Pokot (5.8 per cent), Mandera (5.2 per cent), Samburu (3.8 per cent) and West Pokot (3.2 per cent).

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