Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences

Prevalence of cystic echinococcosis among livestock in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas in Uganda

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Prevalence of cystic echinococcosis among livestock in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas in Uganda Omadang, Leonard; Chamai, Martin; Ejobi, Francis; Erume, Joseph; Oba, Peter; Ocaido, Michael Cystic echinococcosis (CE) remains a significant challenge in Uganda with precise status largely, undocumented in most communities. Postmortem examination to determine CE prevalence was done on 14,937 livestock (5,873 goats, 1,377 sheep, 3,726 zebu cattle and 3,054 Ankole cattle) slaughtered in abattoirs in the districts of Moroto in Karamoja region, Kumi in Teso region and Nakasongola and Luwero in Buganda region. Recovered cysts were further characterized to determine their viability status. The overall CE prevalence was 21.9% in sheep, 15.2% in Zebu cattle, 5.5% in goats and 2.1% in Ankole cattle. Moroto district had a higher prevalence of CE than other districts of 31.3% in Zebu cattle, sheep 28%, goats 29.1% and none (0%) in Ankole cattle. On organ locations, the lungs were the most affected in all livestock in all the study areas. Considering cyst fertility, 33.9%, 1.7% and 6.4% of Ankole cattle, Sheep and Zebu cattle respectively had fertile cysts in the liver while 4.5% of goats and 4% Ankole cattle had fertile cysts in the lungs. No fertile cysts were recovered from sheep, Zebu cattle lungs and liver of goats. In conclusion, CE is widespread and occurs among cattle, sheep and goats in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas in Uganda. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create awareness among the communities on role of livestock in CE epidemiology and transmission. Keywords: Cystic Echinococcus; prevalence; livestock; organs; pastoral; agro-pastoral; Uganda Article

Adaptation of introduced mung bean genotypes in Uganda.

Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Adaptation of introduced mung bean genotypes in Uganda. Mbeyagala, E.K.; Amayo, R.; Obuo, J.E.P. Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) is an important source of nutrients and income for smallholder farmers in East Africa. Mungbean production in countries like Uganda largely depends on landraces, in the absence of improved varieties. In order to enhance productivity, efforts have been underway to develop and evaluate mungbean varieties that meet farmers’ needs in various parts of the country. This study was conducted at six locations in Uganda, to determine the adaptability of introduced mungbean genotypes, and identify mungbean production mega-environments in Uganda. Eleven genotypes (Filsan, Sunshine, Blackgram, Mauritius1, VC6148 (50-12), VC6173 (B-10),Yellowmungo, KPS1, VC6137(B-14),VC6372(45-60),VC6153(B-20P) and one local check were evaluated in six locations during 2013 and 2014. The locations were; National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI), Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (AbiZARDI),Kaberamaido variety trial center, Kumi variety trial center, Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NabuinZARDI), and Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute(NgettaZARDI). G × E interactions were significant for grain yield. Through GGEBiplot analysis, three introduced genotypes (Filsan, Blackgram and Sunshine) were found to be stable and high yielding, and therefore, were recommended for release. The six test multi-locations were grouped into two candidate mega-environments for mungbean production (one comprising of AbiZARDI and Kaberamaido and the other comprising of NaSARRI, NabuinZARDI, Kumi, and NgettaZARDI). National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) was the most suitable environment in terms of both discriminative ability and representativeness and therefore can be used for selection of widely adaptable genotypes. Key Words: Biplot, Mega-environment, Vigna radiata Journal article

Cowpea scab disease (Sphaceloma sp.) in Uganda.

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Cowpea scab disease (Sphaceloma sp.) in Uganda. Afutu, Emmanuel; Agoyi, Eric E.; Amayo, Robert; Biruma, Moses; Rubaihayo, Patrick R. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is the third most important legume food crop in Uganda. It is the main legume food crop in the Eastern and Northern regions of the country, however, its mean yield is less than 400 kg ha1. Scab (Sphaceloma sp.) which is a seed-borne disease is one of the major constraints of cowpea production in the country, capable of causing yield losses of up to 100%. Cowpea scab is the anamorph of Elsinoe phaseoli in common bean (bean scab). The disease affects all the above ground parts of the cowpea plant. A study was conducted in the country to determine the incidence, severity and distribution of scab disease in 17 cowpea growing districts across three agro-ecological zones over a two-year period. The results indicated that scab disease was widespread in all the districts with mean incidence ranging between 35 and 70% and mean severity 2e4. Tororo and Amuria districts had the highest incidence and severity, while Bukedea and Arua districts recorded the least disease incidence and severity. Cowpea fields located at altitudes above 1200 m.a.s.l had the highest mean disease incidence (82%) and severity (score ¼ 3.4), while fields located on altitudes lying between 771 and 990 m.a.s.l registered the least disease incidence (64.7%) and severity (score ¼ 2.7). The type of cultivar grown and cropping system practiced influenced the incidence and severity of the scab disease. The results of this study also showed that scab had high incidence and severity across districts and altitudes in Uganda suggesting the need to develop resistant cultivars. This indicates the need to establish the variability of the pathogen to inform the breeding programme for development of resistant varieties. Keywords: Vigna unguiculata, Sphaceloma sp., Elsinoe, Incidence, Severity, Distribution Journal article

Integrating soybean residues with nitrogen fertilizer for improved maize production in eastern Uganda.

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Integrating soybean residues with nitrogen fertilizer for improved maize production in eastern Uganda. Sadina, B.; Amoding, A.; Amayo, R.; Biruma, M. Soybean has become one of the dominant crops in Ugandan farming systems; however, the contribution of its residues to improve soil and crop productivity is less known. To investigate the role of soybean residues to enhance crop productivity, researcher-managed experiments were conducted for two seasons (2011B and 2012A) in Namayingo and Tororo districts, representing the L. Victoria crescent, and South-eastern L. Kyoga basin agro-ecological zones, respectively. Factorial treatments of three levels of soybean residues (0, 2 and 4 t ha-1) and four levels of N fertilizer (0, 30, 60 and 120 kg ha-1 N) in form of urea were applied in maize fields in a randomized complete block design so as to; determine the optimum nutrient combination for maize, and establish the added yield benefits, if any, of using soybean residues with N fertilizer in maize production. Site yields varied significantly (p < 0.001), with higher maize yields obtained in Namayingo compared to Tororo. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher maize grain yields were obtained with the highest nutrient input combinations of 2 t ha-1 residue and 60 kg ha-1 N (yield increment of 71.72% above the control) in Namayingo district and 4 t ha-1 residue combined with120 kg ha-1 N increased maize grain yield by 140.69% above the control in Tororo. The added maize grain yield benefits ranged from 2540 kg grain ha-1 to 3250 kg grain ha-1 in Namayingo and from 2000 kg grain ha-1 to 2310 kg grain ha-1 in Tororo. Combined use of soybean residue with N fertilizer has been found to have agronomic yield benefits to maize production. Keywords: Added yield benefits, Nutrients, Soybean residue and Maize Research article