Pests

: 18 July 2019; Hits: 5273

New technology to help farmers prevent bacterial wilt in potatoes

The International Potato Center (CIP) in collaboration with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) have validated a new technology to detect bacterial wilt in potatoes.

The cost-effective field deployable LAMP (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) assay for the detection of bacteria that causes wilt from stem, leaf, tuber and soil will speed up the seed inspection and certification process.

Bacterial wilt is one of the most significant limitations to clean potato seed production, an essential component of high yields in many countries in Sub Saharan Africa. It has resulted in 30-100 per cent potato yield losses putting a huge dent on food security and livelihoods of many smallholder farmers.

With LAMP, it takes a shorter time to get the results (0.3 to 1 hour) as compared to the other methods that take two to 120 hours. Furthermore, the fact that it requires less expertise and its cost effectiveness means that medium to large scale producers can easily integrate LAMP Assay into self-assessment of their seed quality.

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bacterial wilt LAMP

Abdulwahab Abdurahman, a Molecular Biologist from CIP, taking trainees through different steps of LAMP assay in Ralstonia diagnosis from soil, stem and tuber samples, and showing trainees how to obtain readings from a tablet after tests using a Bio-Ranger and Gene II, and how to use the machine. Kephis.org

The current seed potato certification process in Kenya involves traditional laboratory processes such as ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) and PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) in the diagnosis of the bacterial wilt pathogen.

Field deployable LAMP assay has proved to be efficient and effective as it is sensitive, rapid, and accurate as compared to ELISA and PCR tests and does not require sending samples to the lab for analysis. The introduction of the field deployable LAMP assay has a significant advantage over the standard ELISA and PCR tests in its suitability for on-site diagnosis be it farmers field or point of entry.

In many countries, seed potato certification standards have zero tolerance for bacterial wilt pathogen and can lead to rejection of an entire potato field for seed. This therefore puts certified seed potato production that currently barely meets two per cent of the total area planted with potato at a high risk. There are a few seed merchants that produce certified seed potato and increasing quantities of certified seed is a major priority to improve yields and meet the increasing food demands.

To this end, through the support from GIZ-BMZ funded project on “Improved Diagnostics and genetic/molecular diversity of Ralstonia from Kenya and Uganda” CIP and KEPHIS conducted a two day training aimed at capacity building of East African countries’ seed regulatory and phytosanitary authorities as well as private diagnostic clinic personnel on the use of “field deployable LAMP assay to detect Ralstonia from stem, tuber and soil sample. The training was held at KEPHIS Plant Quarantine and Bio-safety

The trainees got hands-on training on how to detect Ralstonia (bacteria) from stem, tuber and soil where they participated in extraction, preparation and testing samples using the LAMP assay. They were also taken through the assay validation process where they were shown sigmoid curves that show positive tests for Ralstonia.

Trainees were impressed with the technology as it requires fewer reagents, simple laboratory skills and expertise, and helps in making informed and fast decisions on whether to accept or reject potato seed in the field. They also appreciated the use of the technique as it is specific and suggested adoption and use during inspections, surveillance and at border points. They added that, other protocols for diagnosis of various diseases in different plants should be developed.

Dr. Kalpana Sharma, Plant Pathologist from CIP is confident that faster decision-making arising from less than an hour of using the field-deployable LAMP assay versus 14 days of current practice by KEPHIS would not only help famers to go for seed or ware potato market but also encourage small and medium scale producers to become certified seed producers with greater certainty, thus promoting the seed sector investment and growth.

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: 12 July 2019; Hits: 5253

Fruit firm seeks to develop a handheld portable device that detects fruit pests and diseases

PAPAYA pawpaw ANTHRACNOSE disease

Pawpaw fruits affected by Papaya Anthracnose disease. Orchard Technologies Enterprise is seeking to introduce a handheld device which will help farmers detect fruits pests and diseases. Photo courtesy.

Orchard Technologies Enterprise Ltd, an agribusiness start-up company in Nairobi, Kenya is seeking to come up with technology solution in the fruit business industry by developing a device to help farmers and entrepreneurs to detect and isolate fruit defects.

According to a 2012 research by Muchiri Caroline Mugure for the University of Nairobi on Economic Assessment of Losses due to Fruit Fly Infestation in Mango in Embu County, the average percentage loss due to fruit fly infestation via rejections at the farm was 24 percent, with some farmers reporting higher losses of up to 60 percent.

The pick and scan fruit device by Orchard Technologies Enterprise, seeks to minimise the losses caused by fruit pests and diseases attack, through early detection and isolation of infected or infested fruits. Thus facilitating the need to conduct this market survey.

However, according to Mugure’s research report, there have been efforts by the government and agricultural companies to come up with new and cheaper methods to reduce fruit pests and diseases infestation levels but farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for them is not known.

Orchard Technologies Enterprise is currently conducting an online survey targeting intended users majority being farmers to find out among other issues the any losses that the farmers must have been recording in the past, location of the farmers, their scale of production and the possibility of them buying or willing to use the device.

To participate in the survey, follow the link> https://mosesngala.typeform.com/to/VSfY5t

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: 12 July 2019; Hits: 5461

Kenyan researcher to introduce a new vaccine to end Newcastle disease in chicken

Irene Ogali, a PHD student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology is working on a new vaccine to end Newcastle disease with 80 to 100 per cent mortality rate in chicken.

According to department of livestock development, Newcastle disease in Kenya causes an estimated Sh450m worth of losses annually every April and between September and December.

The researcher is currently undertaking a pilot study that will inform the development of a vaccine that will match the genetic composition of local birds in Kenya. At the moment, farmers are using a vaccine that was developed over 50 years ago and has over time become obsolete due to the evolving nature of the disease.

“We need a genotyped-matched vaccine that matches strengths of local viruses. The problem is that imported vaccines that poultry farmers still rely on were made in countries that have different ecological conditions and they may not match the strengths of the virus we have here in Kenya,” said Ogali.

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chicken traditional

Local traditional chicken in a free range system. File

Her study has been conducted on small, medium and large poultry farms in western, eastern Kenya and Nairobi, the capital city and seeks to identify some of the causes of the disease in chicken.

In this, tissue samples were taken from birds in the regions which indicated that the birds had a similar genetic composition which will inform a more effective vaccine.

Ogali is set to develop a vaccine that will prevent vaccinated birds from infecting unvaccinated birds as is the case with available vaccines.

Chickens suffering from Newcastle disease show nervous signs, diarrhoea and die in large numbers. The disease is spread by sick birds usually brought in from the market or by other birds from the neighborhood. Visitors, dogs and wild birds can also spread the disease.

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