Abstract Four proximal soil sensors were tested at four smallholder farms in Embu County, Kenya: a portable X-ray fluorescence sensor (PXRF), a mobile phone application for soil color determination by photography, a dual-depth electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor, and a LED-based soil optical reflectance sensor. Measurements were made at 32–43 locations at each site. Topsoil samples were analyzed for plant-available nutrients (N, P, K, Mg, Ca, S, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe), pH, total nitroge...
Abstract/Overview We found 33, 17, and 20 Alba genes in Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium arboretum, and Gossypium raimondii, respectively. The Alba protein lengths ranged from 62 to 312 aa, the molecular weight (MW) from 7.003 to 34.55 kDa, grand average hydropathy values of −1.012 to 0.609 and isoelectric (pI) values of −3 to 11. Moreover, miRNAs such as gra miR8770 targeted four genes, gra-miR8752 and gra-miR8666 targeted three genes, and each and gra-miR8657 a, b, c, d, e targeted 10 ...
Abstract Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different watering regimes on selected coffee genotypes and to evaluate drought tolerance among selected coffee genotypes. The study also aimed at determining the optimum watering interval for these genotypes under high temperature conditions. Study Design: Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Coffee Research Station in Ruiru, Ken...
Abstract Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were review...
Abstract African nightshade, Solanum nigrum L .is one of the most important leafy vegetable rich in nutritional and medicinal value, can be used to feed people with human immune deficiency virus, HIV/AIDS in Kenya. This study was conducted to morphologically characterize thirty African nightshade accessions in order to establish the level of genetic variation amongst them. The limited information available on this species hinders their sustainable conservation and development. Existing knowl...
Abstract/Overview Plants have diverse and vast niches colonized by endophytic microorganisms that promote the wellbeing of host plant. These microbes inhabit internal plant tissues with no signs of ill health. Bacterial endophytes from many plants have been isolated and characterized due to their beneficial roles however their diversity in leguminous plants still remain unexploited. Diversity of bacterial endophytes isolated from Sesbania sesban, Leucaena diversifolia and Calliandra calot...
Abstract/Overview Soil acidity is a major constraint to crop production on highly weathered tropical soils characterized by high Aluminum (Al) toxicity, low cation exchange capacity, and low phosphorus (P) availability to plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two powdered limes (calcium oxide, calcium carbonate), granulated lime (CaO.MgO), and their combinations with mineral fertilizer on soil chemical properties (soil pH, organic carbon, exchangeable acidity,...
Abstract/Overview We examined the socio-cultural practices on the use of beetle grubs as food and feed in western Kenya by interviewing 211 randomly selected households and conducting seven focus group discussions in Bungoma, Kakamega, Busia, and Trans Nzoia counties. The grubs were used as food and feed in ~ 39% and 78% of the households, respectively. The perceived benefits of the grubs for human consumption were nutritiousness and no linkage to allergies. The grubs were perceived t...
Abstract/Overview This study was carried out to analyze mycotoxins of entomopathogenic fungi of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) and poultry feed safety. An experiment was set up to assess the types of mycotoxins produced by entomopathogenic fungal parasite of fall armyworm larvae and their subsequent efect on the safety of the larvae as a feed ingredient. Molecular characterization was done to estimate the diversity of entomopathogenic fungi on fall armyworm larvae specim...
Abstract/Overview Neochetina eichhorniae and Neochetina bruchi have been used for over four decades as Eichhorniae crassipes classical biological control agents globally. Despite the success of bio-control against the water hyacinth globally at different levels and environmental sustainability, biological control against water hyacinth seems to have overlooked the socio-economic sustainability in assisting the ravaged communities, gain resilience and adapt to the challenges of the invasiv...
Abstract/Overview The field cricket, Scapsipedus icipe Hugel and Tanga (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is edible and could be used to reduce malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the demand for cricket products is increasing, there is a need to find cost-effective ways of rearing this cricket using locally available and affordable sources of food. This study evaluated the feeding preferences of the field cricket S. icipe for 11 species of dayflowers (Commelina spp.; Commelinaceae), using no ...
Abstract/Overview Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) presents the opportunity to meet the world increasing food demands in the face of climate variability. In Kenya, CSA has been promoted as a means of adapting to climate change among Kenyan farmers under Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) and farmers’ participation is key. This study, therefore, sought to identify the extent of participation in climate-smart agricultural projects (CSAPs) in terms of longevity of farmers’ pa...
Abstract/Overview Lake Flies are edible insects with the potential of contributing to food security in that they are an alternative protein and micronutrient food source in freshwater lake regions. The main challenge in exploiting the lake flies is the difficulty in the collection. This study was conducted to identify sustainable traditional collection practices and forecasting techniques of lake flies and was implemented in Rusinga and Mfangano Island in Kenya. The ethnographic study emp...
Abstract/Overview Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigonidae) is a highly nutritious and luxurious insect delicacy that is consumed as a food source in many African countries. However, the nutrient profile of R. differens in different geographical regions have received limited research interest. Here, we provide comprehensive evidence of geographical impact on the nutrient profile of R. differens and its potential to meet the recommended dietary intake of the population. Our ...
Abstract/Overview A 6-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Yellow Meal Worm larvae (YMWL) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chicken. The larvae was processed and included in diets at different levels 0%YMWL (control), 2.5%YMWL, 5%YMWL and 7.5%YMWL. The diets were formulated to be iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric in mash form for the starter and finisher phases. 160-day-old cobb-500 broiler chicks were randoml...