|
___________________________
Project information
»Funding dates
|
Original grant (2006-2010)
Yr 1: 9/1/2006-8/30/2007
|
|
Yr 2: 9/1/2007-8/30/2008
|
|
Yr 3: 9/1/2008-8/30/2009
|
|
Yr 4: 9/1/2009-8/30/2010
|
»The problem
Low agricultural productivity, malnutrition and poverty affect
the majority of rural households in Malawi and Tanzania. Poor
soil fertility and unreliable rainfall are major factors limiting
crop productivity. Consequently, most households do not produce
enough food to feed themselves for more than nine months of
the year. More than 49% (Malawi) and 40% (Tanzania) of children
under five in the rural areas are malnourished to such a degree
that their development is retarded. Food shortfalls play a
major role in malnutrition but a lack of protein, oil and
vitamins in a largely cereal-based diet is also of major importance.
More than half of the populations in the two countries live
below the poverty line. Thus, the purchase of additional food
to supplement the family diet, or of external inputs to improve
crop productivity, is not possible for the average household.
Groundnut (also known as peanut) is an important legume crop
in the region. Increasing groundnut production has the potential
to help mitigate these serious problems for the more than
300,000 rural households in the two countries who live in
areas where groundnuts are commonly grown. Because they fix
atmospheric nitrogen, groundnuts can thrive under low nitrogen
conditions. They also improve soil fertility for the subsequent
crop. Increased groundnut consumption will help families reduce
problems of malnutrition, since they are nutritious (high
protein [12 - 36%], high oil content [36-54%]), thrive under
low rainfall and can be grown with low capital investment.
Being a popular commodity that is widely traded in local regional
and international markets, groundnuts can also be an important
source of income, especially for women farmers, who are the
main cultivators of groundnuts and who have tended to be excluded
from growing traditional cash crops, such as tobacco.
Foliar diseases are generally considered the major constraint
to increased groundnut production. Groundnut Rosette Disease,
caused by a viral complex, is endemic to the African continent
and epidemics occur often, with losses approaching 100% in
many fields. Early leaf spot caused by Cercospora arachidicola,
late leaf spot caused by Phaeoisariopsis personata,
and rust caused by Puccinia arachidis, are other key
fungal diseases that cause considerable damage to groundnut
production. Leaf diseases can be controlled by timely applications
of fungicidal sprays. However, the cost of fungicidal application
is prohibitive for smallholder farmers. Therefore, the use
of resistant crop cultivars provides the most appropriate
means of disease control, being easily incorporated into farmers'
operations at little extra cost.
»The approach
 Project
workplan
The overall strategy to be pursued will consist of four main
components: diagnosis, breeding, variety testing and dissemination,
and capacity building. Breeding and variety testing will involve
full participation of smallholder farmers, whose growing conditions,
priorities, preferences and seed delivery system practices
will be the subject of the diagnostic studies. The breeding
program will be conducted in two stages. The first will consist
of identification of parental lines with desired characteristics
for hybridization and/or breeding populations at different
stages of development. The second stage will consist of designing
and selecting specific breeding products from the segregating
population(s) developed/selected in the first stage. The diagnostic
stage will be conducted simultaneously with the first stage
of the breeding work. The results of the diagnostics will
be used to design the second stage of breeding. Training programs
will be designed to strengthen the research and development
capacities of collaborating partners and to enhance the innovative
capability of farmer groups at participating locations.
»The goals
The project goal is reduction of poverty by improving income
level, food and nutrition security through investments in
short- and medium-duration high yielding groundnut varieties
with acceptable market traits and resistance to foliar diseases.
»Back to top
___________________________
Investigators
»Partner institutions
»Investigators at ICRISAT(*=project
leader)
|
Emmanuel S. Monyo*
Moses Siambi
Moses Osiru
|
|
|
|
|
»Investigators at NASFAM
|
Betty Chinyamunyamu
Candida Nakhumwa
|
|
|
|
|
»Investigators a ARI
|
Omari Mponda
Elly Kafiriti
Mark Sijaona
|
|
|
|
|
»Back to top
___________________________
Annual progress reports
Click the links below for annual progress reports.
|
»Original grant
|
Year 1 (9/2006-8/2007)
English
|
|
Year 2 (9/2007-8/2008)
Due 9/30/2008
|
|
Year 3 (9/2008-8/2009)
Due 9/30/2009
|
|
Year 4 (9/2009-8/2010)
Due 9/30/2010
|
|
|
|
»Back to top
___________________________
Publications
Osiru, M., Monyo, E., Waliyar, F., and Harvey, C., 2007.
Strategies for Management of the groundnut rosette disease
in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fourth Annual General Meeting of the
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa. 10 - 17 June, 2007.
Sandton. South Africa.
»Back to top
|
 |
