Pests

: 31 July 2017; Hits: 5738

ICIPE recognized as a global hub for bee health expertise

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International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) headquarters at Duduville Campus. ICIPE to provide bee health expertise internationally too.

The International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) has been selected as a Collaborating Centre for Bee Health in Africa by World Organization for Animal Health. ICIPE will function as a world center for research, expertise, standardization of techniques and dissemination of knowledge.

Through the new collaborative center, ICIPE will promote effective bee health management through the implementation of World Organization for Animal Health international standards in collaboration with other bodies responsible for management of bee diseases. Bees play a crucial role in health and food security due to their pollination activity.

This designation is significant as it formally recognises ICIPE’s role as a hub of bee health expertise in Africa and globally. Over the past decade, the Centre has been implementing a range of initiatives in this area, primarily through the establishment of the African Reference Laboratory for Bee Health headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with satellite stations in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Liberia, and a training site in Madagascar.

This state-of-the-art facility, a partnership with the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) provides a platform for monitoring and preventing bee diseases and pests in Africa, with the financial support of the European Union and ICIPE’s core donors. We believe the recognition of icipe as an OIE Collaborating Centre for Bee Health in Africa will elevate our continent-wide basis and mandate, and provide further confidence for stakeholders in Africa to collaborate with us,” noted icipe Director General, Dr Segenet Kelemu.

Dr Kelemu added: “ICIPE will also be expected to provide bee health expertise internationally. It is our belief that we will be able to extend and strengthen our collaborations to many of OIE’s 181 Member countries, reinforcing our knowledge generation, exchange and dissemination towards global sustainability of bees,” Dr Kelemu added.

“This recognition by OIE re-energises our commitment to bee health research. Bees are one of the most important insects to mankind. In Africa, as ICIPE has shown over the past several decades, honeybees are extremely critical in improving the lives of millions of people, especially those living in marginalised areas. For such communities, beekeeping often provides one of the few viable livelihood options. Beyond this, bees provide a critical, though often unrecognised and undervalued free service, through the pollination of many food and non-food crops. Indeed, more than 70% of the production of the world’s major crops relies on bee pollination. Bees also pollinate grasses and forage plants, therefore contributing indirectly to meat and milk production.” ICIPE Director of Research and Partnerships, Dr Sunday Ekesi observed.

ICIPE’s mission is to help alleviate poverty, ensure food security, and improve the overall health status of peoples of the tropics, by developing and extending management tools and strategies for harmful and useful arthropods, while preserving the natural resource base through research and capacity building.

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: 20 July 2017; Hits: 10639

Farmer turns to short season maize to escape lethal necrosis disease

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Mature yellow maize in a farm. Yellow maize is also informally known as Katumani. It escapes diseases and pangs of drought because of its quick maturity. Photo: Agricol

In avoiding losses to lethal necrosis and other diseases, Kisii County farmer Alfred Ombuna has resorted to growing yellow maize, which matures in four months - more than two months earlier than hybrid varieties.

Yellow maize matures within four months. Hybrid maize matures in six to eight months depending on the variety and the region. Cold regions like Nyahururu, maize may take up to eight months to harvest.

"When large tracks of maize are of the same age, spread of pests and diseases from one field to the next one is easy. But for me, I have overcome the lethal necrosis by growing this yellow maize. By the time of the attack in neighbouring fields, I am already harvesting," he said during the 2017 Kisii Agricultural Society of Kenya Show.

Lethal necrosis is a viral disease that causes drying of maize leaves and stalks. In most cases, it strikes a few weeks ahead of flowering. In the past four years, the disease has ravaged thousands of acres of maize in most parts of Kenya including, Nyanza, Western, Rift Valley and Central. This has contributed to the cyclic hunger crisis that the country has been having.

In 2013, the farmer lost one acre of maize to the disease. That was after a long wait. But it was from the loss that he learnt that having a quick maturing variety amid slowly growing peers may help in escaping the losses.

That is what he has been doing since 2014.

Although the output is lower than the hybrid, the Kiogoro village farmer is happy to be harvesting more than 20bags in two seasons a year.

The yellow maize, which is informally called Katumani, also escapes the pangs of drought because of the quick maturity.

Maize requires more rain for most of its life. When it is young, water is essential for vigorous growth while at flowering the same is key for formation and filling of cobs.

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: 30 June 2017; Hits: 15404

Cowdung stops snakes from feeding on fish

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An integrated fishpond with chicken, rabbits ad vegetables at Nakuru ASK Show ground. Keeping cow-dung in fishponds repels snake predators. Photo by Laban Robert.

Besides adding nutrients for the growth of food for fish, placing cow dung in a pond repulses snake predators, which could otherwise be tamed by chemicals that put the lives of consumers at risk.

Snakes are common in fish ponds along rivers and other forest-surrounding areas. Insects, fish and other reptiles like frogs are the main source of food for snakes.

“Snakes love fish, but hate cow-dung smell. A fish pond is more susceptible to snakes because the population is high within this water restricted area. This makes the snakes reside inside the pond or nearby areas. But a sack of about 10kg places in one corner of the fishpond could repulse these predators,” Jared Mogaka said.

Mogaka, who runs integrated farms in Nakuru, said the use of chemicals in taming predators presents a risk to consumers and the environment.

While the dung is fresh, it releases a strong decomposing smell that persists even after it has been placed in the water because it is moist.

Cowdung and chicken droppings are commonly immersed in one corner of fish ponds as manure to support the growth of planktons.

Planktons are microscopic plants that are fed on by fish. Besides, a high number of planktons in fishponds purify the water. In the process of making food, photosynthesis, they consume carbon dioxide released by the fish. These multibillion plants also release oxygen during photosynthesis that the fish consume.

Mogaka helps farmers set up integrated fishponds, where chickens and rabbits release urine and faecal droppings to support the growth of planktons. The water is also recycled to a rooftop vegetable garden to utilise the ammonia from the fish as a nitrogenous fertiliser.

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