Pests

: 08 July 2019; Hits: 5419

Fact sheet on controlling panama disease in apple bananas

Panama disease also known as fusarium wilt is a serious problem of banana production in Western, Nyanza, Eastern, Coast and Central regions in Kenya. The disease not only affects “apple” bananas but also other varieties such as Gros Michel, Bogoya, Bokoko and silk and can wipe out the entire crop.

The disease is caused by the fusarium fungus which survives in the soil and on plant waste. It enters the plant through root damages before spreading to the whole plant via the stem.

Signs of the disease include yellowing of leaves starting with the oldest leaves while some droo, become brown and die. In some cases the outer leaf sheaths of the stem may split longitudinally near the soil level.

In this case, the affected plant won’t develop adequately for a mature bunch to be produced and the disease can cause total crop loss.

To control the disease, ensure there is no movement of planting materials from affected regions to other areas occurs. Burning and burying all diseased crop residues and practicing crop rotation ensure the fungus die.

Disinfect any farm implement used for pruning banana stools.

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banana fusarium

Alternatively, plant resistant banana varieties such as GT, Prata, Manyatta, Soth, Exera and Kifutu Mysore

Uproot all panama disease affected “Sukari Ndizi” stools and replace with any of the resistant varieties named above.

According to a 2014 research by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the disease is mainly cause by poor knowledge and perception among growers on the impact, infection cycle and management tactics. Lack of certified planting materials is also a challenge.

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: 24 June 2019; Hits: 5400

How to control diarrhea in camel calves without using drugs

Diarrhea in camel calves aged between one and three months in Kenya causes between 12 to 60 per cent deaths. Farmers can curb this by using traditional remedies that have been found to be effective such as rehydration (the process of restoring lost water to body tissues) using honey, table salt and water mixture and use of eggs.

Camels are versatile animal species that are reared in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya fulfilling livelihoods of pastoral communities.

According to the 2009 census results by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, there are 2.99m camels in the country.

Diarrhea therefore poses a major challenge to the camel population in Kenya and if not controlled can affect livelihoods of people living in ASAL areas who solely depend on camels for food and income.

Signs of diarrhea in calves are colored mucus, abdominal pains and loose watery stool.

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camel herd kenya

A woman herding camels in Kenya. Photo: flickr.com

One of the traditional methods is use of honey, water and table salt. In this, take three spoonsful of honey and one and half table spoonsful of table salt and mix with three liters of water. Administer 300ml of the solution orally after every four hours until the diarrhea stops. The method helps in restoring lost water to body tissues and fluids. It also has curative effects.

Another way is use of raw eggs which have both preventive and curative effects on young calves that are having loose stools more than three times in a day. In this case, orally administer one egg to sick calves until the diarrhea stops.

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: 19 June 2019; Hits: 15914

Salt supplements prevent milk fever, retained placenta and downer cow disease in cows after giving birth

Farmers who feed dry dairy animals with mineral nutrients boosting salts curb after parturition diseases such as downers and milk fever besides boosting milk yields and having healthy calves and mothers.

According to a 2006 research by Abuom Okumu on periparturient conditions in smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu, Kiambu it was revealed that most animals (66.99 per cent), developed at least one of the periparturient conditions under study.

The most common conditions encountered were retained placenta (28. 16 per cent), dystocia (13.59 per cent) and milk fever (11.16 per cent,) while the least common were ketosis, cystic ovarian disease and uterine torsion all with an incidence of 0.49 per cent.

Coopers Kenya Limited animal and crop officer Joseph Karanja said the future productivity of an in-calf cow depends on the minerals feeding rations and mineral supplementation in the two drying months ahead of parturition.

“The calf is growing rapidly from the seventh to the ninth months of pregnancy. The cow is sharing crucial minerals like calcium, sodium chloride and phosphorus with the calf. These minerals have to be replenished for a healthy mother and calf after the gestation period,” said Dr. Karanja, who heads the agribusiness sector of the company.

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SaltSupplimentCoopersKenyaDrJosephKaranjaKICCByLabanRobert

Coopers Kenya Limited animal health expert Dr Joseph Karanja holds the company's recently launched mineral salt supplement for dry cows.He said mineral supplement is key for healthy cows and calves.

Downer cow is a condition of the cattle lying down doe to mineral deficiency. It is unable to get up or if manages, it does so with a lot of difficulty. It is a common show of weak bones resulting from deficiency of calcium, phosphorus and other essential minerals.

Besides the calcium and phosphorus being used in the formation of the bones of the calf, the minerals are also drawn from the rest of the body to the mammary glands for the formation of colostrum milk.

“The deficiency predisposes the cow to milk fever and hypocalcemia, which lead to a coma and death if no treatment is administered,” said Dr. Karanja

Other minerals are also important in supporting the overall health of the mother and the calf in the two dry months, when the cow is not being milked.

Milk fever is characterised by loss of appetite, shuffling of hind feet, dullness, cold ears and dry nose, apparent loss of coordination of limbs during walking, temperature fluctuation between 35.6 degrees Celsius to 37.7 degrees Celsius, and the heart beat may go past 100, instead of the usual 48 to 84.

With loss of appetite, milk yields drop drastically and the cow losses consciousness before slipping into a coma and death.

Various minerals supplements are available in agro-shops.

Two years ago, Coopers launched a Maclick Dry Cow salt, which contains 23 per cent sodium chloride, five per cent calcium, nine per cent phosphorus, 14 per cent manganese, among other elements.

Other essential minerals in the salt are copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt, selenium, molybdenum, among others.

Dr Karanja can be reached on +254722880274.

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