: Sweet orange ( Citrus srcinensis ) contributes to food and nutrition security and is a source of employment for the rural population in Uganda. Production of citrus in Teso region of Uganda has been mainly affected by Pseudocercospora spot disease and long drought conditions. These stresses have reduced citrus production and farm income. This study was focused on the management of Pseudocercospora spot disease cause by P. angolensis and soil water improving citrus production and farmers’ income in Teso, Uganda. Two trial experiments were set up at already established citrus farmers’ fields about Pseudocercospora spot disease management and soil water management. Different chemicals were applied for Pseudocercospora spot disease management as; (1) Carbendazim in alternation with Ridomil, (2) Carbendazim, (3) Copper plus Ridomil, (4) Carbendazim in alternation with Copper, (5) Ridomil, (6) Copper fungicide. Soil and water management (SWM) practices were established on fields of 20 farmers. They included (1) trenches, (2) basins, (3) Basins + cover crop (clover), (4) Trenches + Basins, (5) Trenches + Basin + Cover crop, (6) Trenches + Basins + Manure, and (7) control. Considering disease spread and development on both young and old orange leaves and fruits, Carbendazim was the most effective (>50%) chemical control in all treatments. There was a significant increase of about 734USD/ha in income of farmers following disease control. All SWM practices increased citrus yields. The highest yield of 55t/ha was obtained from treatment combined use of trenches, basins and manure. Increase in farmers’ income was observed across all practices except for the control. These results can be utilized by the government and other support agencies such as KOPIA to plan for more support and up scaling to all sweet orange and citrus farmers in Uganda
Rice consumption in Senegal is rapidly increasing due to consumer preferences for rice and urbanization. Despite having a great potential to increase rice production on account of its vast irrigated areas in the Senegal River Valley and the rainfed and upland areas in the Casamance region, Senegal still relies on imported rice to supplement around 44% of rice demand in a year. Rice production in Senegal has been heavily affected by several biological and institutional constraints, including drought, salt, cold, iron toxicity, and diseases and pest. In terms of rice research and development, Senegal has a well-established rice breeding system for varietal development and releasing them to farmers. Since 1994, the country has developed a total of 60 rice varieties in collaboration with international organizations. However, for further improvement of grain yield and quality, this paper proposes the use of Japonica germplasm based on the empirical evidence from the green revolution of IRRI and Korea.
Sri Lanka is a tropical country having a favourable climate for year around vegetable production. Many tropical and sub-tropical vegetables are grown in approximately 3% of total agriculture lands (105,062ha). In Sri Lanka, systematic studies on vegetable improvement have been conducted for 50 years and, since then, Sri Lanka has gradually increased its vegetable sector. However, Sri Lanka fall behind in technologies for vegetable breeding, cultivation and processing compared with developed countries. Cultivars with various agronomic characteristics developed through conventional breeding approach have been contributed to vegetable production in Sri Lanka. Since the crop improvement through conventional breeding has been realized at a slower phase, integrated approach with biotechnological tools became important for vegetable development. Here, we provided the current states of five major vegetables such as tomato, capsicum, beans, brinjal and bitter gourd and their leading cultivars. The outlook of breeding activities in Sri Lanka was also discussed.
This research aims to identify the status quo of Mongolia's agricultural research and extension, as well as defining the sector's key challenges. Given that the agricultural sector in Mongolia is the culture itself for the country's rural communities, it is a driving force of employment for rural households. However, the sector has been losing its momentum since the nation's transition to a free market economy in the 1990s. While investment in Mongolia's agricultural research and extension remains at a very low level due to a number of challenges, this research focuses on bridging the gaps between farmers and researchers, to help realizing the nation's agricultural growth potential.
