Nano-enhanced defense: Titanium-enriched Alginate-Bentonite coating augments D203 efficacy against in Kenyan rice cultivation.

Rice blast disease, caused by , poses a significant threat to global rice production, necessitating the development of effective and sustainable management strategies. Biological control using beneficial microbes like has emerged as a promising approach due to its ability to enhance plant resistance and reduce disease incidence. Nano-encapsulation of bacteria, which involves embedding beneficial microbes within nanomaterials, offers a novel method to improve the stability, survival, and efficacy of these biocontrol agents.

Determination of genomic regions associated with early storage root formation and bulking in cassava.

Early cassava storage root formation and bulking is a medium of escape that farmers and processors tend to adopt in cases of abiotic and biotic stresses like drought, flood, and destruction by domestic animals. In this study, 220 cassava genotypes from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), local farmers (from farmer's field), and NextGen project were evaluated in three locations (Umudike, Benue, and Ikenne). The trials were laid out using a split plot in a randomized incomplete block design (alpha lattice) with two replications in 2 years.

Novel SNP markers and other stress-related genomic regions associated with nitrogen use efficiency in cassava.

Cassava productivity is constrained by low soil nitrogen, which is predominant in most cassava-growing regions in the tropics and subtropical agroecology. Improving the low nitrogen tolerance of cassava has become an important breeding objective. The current study aimed to develop cassava varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency by identifying genomic regions and candidate genes linked to nitrogen use efficiency in cassava.

Combining ability studies of grain Fe and Zn contents of pearl millet ( L.) in West Africa.

Micronutrient malnutrition is a major challenge in Africa, where half a million children die each year because of lack of micronutrients in their food. Pearl millet is an important food and fodder crop for the people living in the Semi-Arid regions of West Africa. The present study was conducted to determine the stability, combining ability, and gene action conditions of the high level of Fe and Zn content in grain and selected agronomic traits.

Farmers' knowledge, perception, and use of phosphorus fertilization for cowpea production in Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria.

Cowpea ( L. Walp) is an important legume crop, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Poor soil fertility is among the major abiotic factors that contribute to this crop's low yield.

Molecular and phenotypic diversity of groundnut ( L.) cultivars in Togo.

Diversity assessment of 94 groundnut accessions from Togo and Senegal, using agro-morphological and SNP markers, revealed high variability for many quantitative traits such as late leaf spot (LLS) incidence, number of pods per plant and yield per plant. For qualitative traits, the Simpson Index showed high diversity for primary seed colour (0.75), stem pigmentation (0.

Groundnut production constraints and farmers' trait preferences: a pre-breeding study in Togo.

Background: Groundnut is an important legume crop in Togo. However, groundnut yield has been steadily decreasing for decades as a result of lack of organized breeding program to address production constraints. Though, low yielding varieties and late leaf spot have been often reported as the most important constraints, there is no documented evidence.

Allelic diversity of S-RNase alleles in diploid potato species.

The S-ribonuclease sequences of 16 S-alleles derived from diploid types of Solanum are presented. A phylogenetic analysis and partial phenotypic analysis support the conclusion that these are functional S-alleles. S-Ribonucleases (S-RNases) control the pistil specificity of the self-incompatibility (SI) response in the genus Solanum and several other members of the Solanaceae.