Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Plant Breeding) by Issue Date
Now showing items 21-40 of 114
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Mutagenesis and development of herbicide resistance in sorghum for protection against Striga.
(2009)Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasitic weed Striga hermonthica is a major biotic constraint to sorghum production. A novel technology where planting seeds are coated with ... -
Breeding, evaluation and selection of Cassava for high starch content and yield in Tanzania.
(2009)High starch content is an important component of root quantity and quality for almost all uses of cassava (flour, chips, and industrial raw material). However, there is scanty information on genetic variability for dry ... -
Breeding investigations for black Sigatoka resistance and associated traits in diploids, tetraploids and the triploid progenies of bananas in Uganda.
(2009)Reduced banana yield owing to black Sigatoka Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet is a threat to the livelihoods of Ugandan subsistence farmers who depend entirely on the banana crop for food security. The objectives of this ... -
Genetic improvement of Zambian maize (Zea mays L.) populations for resistance to ear rots and a survey of associated mycotoxins.
(2009)Maize ear rots are among the most important impediments to increased maize production in Africa. Besides yield loss, they produce mycotoxins in their host whose contamination has been linked to several human and animal ... -
Towards enhancement of B-carotene content of high dry mass sweetpotato genotypes in Zambia.
(2009)The enrichment of B-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, in the local sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) cultivars is an attractive option in order to improve vitamin A intake in Zambia. The study was conducted to: 1) identify ... -
Genetic studies on drought tolerance and grain shattering in rice.
(2010)Grain yield of rice can be enhanced by breeding for drought tolerance and optimum shattering. New generations of rice, the interspecific fixed lines known to carry more drought tolerance traits, are a potential source for ... -
Genetic studies of quantitative and quality traits in rice under low and high soil nitrogen and phosphorous conditions, and a survey of farmer preferences for varieties.
(2010)Rice is an important crop ranking third after maize and wheat in Kenya. Its demand is growing at 12% per annum, while production has stagnated for quite a number of years. This situation has lead to consumption outstripping ... -
Investigation of heterotic patterns and genetic analysis of Downy mildew resistance in Mozambican lowland maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm.
(2010)In Southern Africa and Mozambique, tropical lowland accounts for 22% and 65%, respectively, of area under maize production, but grain yield is compromised by downy mildew disease (DM, which is caused by Peronosclerospora ... -
Genetic studies of secondary traits and yield heterosis in maize under high and low nitrogen conditions, incorporating farmer perceptions and preferences for varieties.
(2010)In Tanzania, 85% of the population depend on maize for food security; it provides 60% of their dietary calories and about 50% of their protein. It is not only a source of food security, but is also a cash crop on which ... -
Breeding cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) walp.) for improved drought tolerance in Mozambique
(2010)Cowpea yields in Mozambique can be increased through breeding farmers’ accepted cultivars with drought tolerance and stability across environments. A study was conducted in the southern region of Mozambique to: (1) determine ... -
Breeding investigations for salt tolerance in rice incorporating characterisation of salt affected soils and farmers perceptions and preferences for tolerant cultivars in north-eastern Tanzania.
(2010)Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the principal crop of North Eastern Tanzania but production is threatened by salt affected soils, drought and the use of un-adapted cultivars, among other constraints. Little research and hardly ... -
Genetic studies of grain and morphological traits in early generation crosses of Malawi rice (Oryza sativa L.) Landraces and NERICA varieties.
(2010)Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the second most important cereal crop in Malawi. Rice productivity in the dominant (85%) rainfed ecosystem is very low, with mean yield of only 1.4 t ha-1. Farmers plant traditional landraces that ... -
Genetic study of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) resistance to Striga gesnerioides (Willd.) vatke in Burkina Faso.
(2010)In Burkina Faso, the existence of different races of Striga gesnerioides (Willd.) Vatke, with apparent variable aggressiveness on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) renders the breeding task very complex. Therefore, a ... -
Genetic studies on host-plant resistance to bean fly (Ophiomyia spp.) and seed yield in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) under semi-arid conditions.
(2010)Bean fly (Ophiomyia spp.) is a major pest of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) throughout eastern and southern Africa. In the semi-arid areas, apart from drought, the insect pest is reported to cause high crop losses up ... -
Development and application of SNP marker for low phytic acid gene (Ipa1-1) with studies on the effect of low phytic acid on seed germination, vigour and yield in maize.
(2010)Maize grain contains high levels of phytic acid which chelates iron, zinc and other micronutrients as it passes through the digestive systems of monogastric consumers reducing their bioavailability. Breeding for low phytic ... -
Development of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.)] hybrids for the semi-arid Kenya.
(2011)Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is cultivated by many farmers in the semi-arid areas of Kenya as a source of food and cash. However, the yields have remained low, ranging between 500 to 800 kg haˉ¹. Apart from ... -
Development of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars for resistance to cassava mosaic disease in Zambia.
(2011)Despite the increasing number of farmers growing cassava in Zambia, yield per hectare has remained low at 5.8 t ha-1. The major constraints contributing to low yields are pests and diseases of which cassava mosaic disease ... -
Cassava breeding through complementary conventional and participatory approaches in western Kenya.
(2011)Participation of farmers in plant breeding programmes has been reported to increase breeding efficiency. Farmers’ participation bridges the gap between variety development and dissemination and provides an opportunity ... -
Farmer perceptions and genetic studies of rosette disease in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in northern Mozambique.
(2011)Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food and cash crop in Mozambique and production has been constrained by lack of high-yielding cultivars and disease infection. Objectives of this study were: 1) to identify ...