Sokoine University of Agriculture
Sokoine University of Agriculture Institutional RepositoryNot a member yet
3509 research outputs found
Sort by
Farm size and agricultural productivity across maize cropping systems in Maize Producing Districts in Tanzania Mainland
No full textMSc. DissertationThe evidence over a negative relationship between farm size and productivity in large
global literature is largely dependent on a narrow range of farm sizes excluding medium
and large scale farms. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between
farm size and agricultural productivity over a wider range of farm sizes across maize
cropping systems in maize producing districts of Tanzania Mainland. Specifically, the
study attempts to: (i) estimate the farmers‟ total factor productivity level across maize
cropping systems, (ii) determine the relationship between farm size and total factor
productivity level across maize cropping systems and (iii) identify factors other than farm
size which influence agricultural productivity across maize cropping systems in the study
districts. OLS Regression technique was employed to determine the relationship between
farm size and the level of total factor productivity. Data for the study comprised of 1001
observations randomly selected from ASPIRES Project data set of 1200 observations
comprising of small, medium and large scale farms. The data were collected during the
2015/16 cropping season from eight maize producing districts namely Mvomero,
Kilombero, Njombe, Kiteto, Magu, Moshi Rural, Mkuranga and Liwale in Tanzania
Mainland. The findings indicate variation in the level of total factor productivity (TFP)
across maize cropping systems, ranging from 1.22 for maize-pure stand and 1.64 for
maize-legumes intercropping systems. Contrary to the evidence in favour of inverse
relationship between farm size and productivity, the regression results in this study
indicate a significant and positive relationship between farm size and total factor
productivity level across maize cropping systems. Moreover, other factors including
household size, land slope, source of water and measurement errors had significant
influence on the farm-level productivity across farm size categories and cropping
systems. The study recommends review of the existing agricultural related policies,strategies and/ or programmes to ensure that medium and large scale farms are also
promoted instead of the currently emphasis on smallholder-lead agricultural growth as
pathway to economic development in the country. Also the following are recommended
in order to improve agricultural productivity and hence increase marketable surplus which
is essential for ensuring adequate supply of raw materials for the agro-industries as the
country is striving to become an industrialized and middle income country: (i) Review of
the National Agriculture Policy 2013 and the Agricultural Sector Development
Programme (ASDP II), (ii) Promoting land productivity enhancing mixed cropping
systems, (iii) Promoting family planning strategies and actions, (iv) supporting low-cost
irrigation strategies and programmes, (v) hastening the process of formalization of land
rights and (vi) providing education on and promoting appropriate farming practices on
hilly/high slope land
Rice leaf blast (Pyricularia oryzae) cavara pathogen distribution, cultivar resistance and yield loss in Zanzibar
No full textThesis 2019Rice leaf blast is a rice disease caused by fungus Pyricularia oryzae Cavara. The disease is
widely spread in all rice ecological systems in Zanzibar viz; rainfed upland, rainfed
lowland and irrigated. In Zanzibar rice is a staple food crop that serves 3.1 millions people
but the crop is highly infected with rice leaf blast disease a major producton constraint. A
comprehensive survey was conducted in six districts of Zanzibar islands covering three
districts in Unguja viz: North A, Central and West and Pemba districts were Micheweni
Chake chake and Wete. Survey was conducted during two cropping seasons 2014-2015
and 2015-2016. Purposive sampling technique was used to select districts that carries three
agro-ecologies viz; rainfed upland, rainfed lowland and irrigated which were considered as
treatments. Two islands (Unguja and Pemba) were considered as blocks. Overall objective
of this study was to establish rice genotypes with effective rice blast resistant genes and
environmental conditions for increased rice productivity in Zanzibar and confirm current
losses caused by (Pyricularia oryzae) pathogen. During survey, incidence, severity,
prsevalence and control measures taken by farmers were recorded for the six districts
within the islands.
Results showed that the disease incidence and severity of rice leaf blast disease varied
considerably across the surveyed districts. The highest rice blast incidence (68.57%) and
severity (20.70%) were recorded in Unguja Island while in Pemba island incidence and
severity were registered (46.85%) and (18.53%) respectively. Low disease rate were
recoded within majority of farmers in Pemba using cultural practices as a disease
reductiona measure. It was found that cultural practices in combination with fungicides
were more effective in rice leaf blast disease control. Chake chake district registered
lowest rice leaf blast incidence (35.96% and severity (16.58%), while the highest diseaseiii
was record in North A and Central but did not differ significantly (P≤0.05). On the three
agro-ecologies irrigated agro-ecology registered lowest rice leaf blast disease rate while
highest disease rate was recorded in the rainfed upland egro-ecology. Disease incidence
records were higher in 2015-2016 than 2014-2015 cropping season.
Study was conducted in the laboratory of mycology in the Department of Crop Science
and Horticulture involving isolation of pathogen from rice leaf samples showing rice leaf
blast disease (Pyricularia orayzae) that was used for identification and molecular
characterization of the pathogen. Three types of medium were used for culturing of
Pyricularia oryzae and compared mycelia growth rates and other culture characteristics.
Petri dish inoculated with Pricularia oryzae were laid in randomized complete
randomized design and replicated three times. Data were collected at 4, 8 and 12days.
Results showed that media differ signifycantly (p≤ 0.001) in influencing growth of fungi.
Similarly, medium interacted significantly (p≤ 0.001) with days after inoculation. Oatmeal
Agar Medium was suitable for mycelia growth followed by Potato dextrse agar medium
while patato carrot agar was the lowest. For molecular analysis six strains were identified
and characterized viz ZNZ/2017/CENTRAL, ZNZ/2017/CHK_2, ZNZ/2017/MICH,
ZNZ/2017/NORTH_ A2, ZNZ/2017/NORTH_ A8 and ZNZ/2017/CHK_1.
Using 19 rice blast differential genotypes and ten traditional varieties their seeds were
sown in the screen house in completely randomized design and inoculated with the spores
suspension of Pyricularia oryzae to evaluate the effect of rice blast disease. Disease
symptoms appeared after two weeks after inoculation and data on disease severity were
collected at the interval of ten days for sixty days. During the experimental duration
temperature in the screen house ranged from 21.5 to 38.4 o C with the average of 27.4 o C.
Relative humidity ranged from 31.626 to 100 with the average of 71.11. Results showediv
that 13 rice blast differential genotypes were identified as resistant viz; IRBL11-Zh
(Pi11(t), IRBL12-M (Pi12(t)), IRBLa-C (Pia), IRBLb-IT13[CO] (Pib), IRBLkh-K3 (Pik-
h), IRBLkp-K60 (Pik-p), IRBLkp-K60[CO] (Pik-p), IRBLta-Me[CO] (Pita), IRBLta2-Pi
(vbfchfdj), IRBLta2-Re[CO] (Pita-2), IRBLz5-Ca (Piz5), IRBLzt-IR56[CO] (Piz-t) and
Moroberekan (Pi5(t), Pi7). Most of traditional varieties were susceptible to the disease.
The lowest total disease severity and total area under disease progress curve were 8.63 %
and 271.5 % respectively were recorded in the differential variety Moroberekan. The
highest total disease severity and total area under development progress curve recorded on
CO39 was (95.05%).
Rice yield loss assessment was conducted in Zanzibar at two locations viz; Pemba Island
and Unguja island during two rce cropping seasons of 2016 – 2018 using t-test. There
were two sets of plots, one set its plots were protected by spraying with fungicide to
prevent rice leaf blast disease and another set its plots were not protected. Results reported
Pyricularia oryzae cause higher rice grain yield loss in Unguja Island at 70.670 % and in
Pemba Island was 56.671 %. Unguja island had higher grain yield loss due to high disease
severity than in Pemba island. Application of fungicide is an alternative measure of rice
blast resistant variety in controlling rice leaf blast disease. From the results, in correlation
coefficient we concluded positive correlated from two relationship between protected plots
and unprotected plot that the increases of severity the increase yield loss and vice versa
Cunnighamial Lanceolata
No full textIn vitro pollen germination provides a novel approach and strategy to accelerate genetic
improvement of tree breeding. Studies about pollen germination and tube growth of Chinese fir are
limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of sucrose, boric acid, pH, and time
of incubation on pollen germination and tube growth. Pollen from 9 clones were selected. In vitro
germination was performed in basic media as control, and in different concentrations of sucrose
(0, 10 and 15%), boric acid (0.01, 0.1 and 0.2%), and pH levels (4.5, 5 and 7). Pollen germination
rates and tube growth were recorded periodically at 1, 12, 24, and 48 h. The results showed that
sucrose imposes significant effects on pollen germination and tube growth. The effects are most
obvious at concentration of 15%. Boric acid significantly promoted germination and tube growth.
The promotion was most notable in lower concentration of 0.01%. The media adjusted to pH 7.0
boosted the germination and pollen tube growth. The optimum time of incubation was 24 and
48 h for pollen germination and tube growth, respectively. Sucrose, pH, and time of incubation
were positively correlated, whereas boric acid negatively correlated with pollen germination and
tube growth. This study provided experimental evidences for selecting viable pollens for Chinese
fir breeding
Consumption of dark green leafy vegetables predicts vitamin a and iron intake and status among female small-scale farmers in Tanzania
No full textArticle paper on Nutrients 2019, 11, 1025;Inadequate consumption of micronutrient-dense foods such as vegetables and meat are an
important contributing cause for anemia and deficiencies of iron and vitamin A in rural communities
of Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 to examine nutritional and micronutrient
status and their associations to the diet of female small-scale farmers in the sub-humid Kilosa (n = 333)
and the semi-arid Chamwino (n = 333) districts, in the Morogoro and Dodoma region. An overall
higher prevalence of overweight (19.7%) and obesity (7.1%) than of underweight (5.9%) was detected.
Significantly more women in the two villages of Kilosa (27–40%) than in the two villages of Chamwino
district (19–21%) were overweight/obese, but also more frequently had anemia (34–41% vs. 11–17%),
iron deficiency (24–32% vs. 15–17%), and low serum retinol (21–24% vs. 8–9%). Overall, only a small
proportion of women reached recommended daily micronutrient intakes: 27% for vitamin A, 17% for
iron, 7% for zinc, and 12–38% for B-vitamins. The amount of dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV)
consumed was the main determinant of vitamin A and iron intake by women in Chamwino and
corresponded to higher hemoglobin, serum retinol and iron status than in the villages of the Kilosa
district; in agreement, DGLV consumption also predicted iron and vitamin A intake in Kilosa district.
DGLV consumed with wholemeal millet was advantageous in terms of women’s vitamin A and iron
intake and status over the predominantly maize-rice-based diet lacking vegetables
Estimating the cost efficiency and profitability among cotton smallholder farmers in Chato District
No full textA Dissertation 2019Agriculture is an important sector in developing countries serving most people in rural
areas as their main means of livelihood. About 84% of agriculture activities in Tanzania
are done by smallholder farmers. Cotton is an important cash crop for many countries in
the world. In Tanzania cotton is a major cash crop in the western cotton growing area,
which includes Mwanza, Shinyanga, Mara, Simiyu, Geita, Tabora and Singida regions.
The cotton subsector is known to involve expensive activities to be undertaken compared
to other crops. Farmers in cotton farming areas are characterized by having limited access
to inputs like fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides due to widespread poverty among them.
For smallholder farmers to get profit from cotton production, efficiency in allocating their
resources is crucial. The objective of this study was to assess whether cotton producers in
Chato District get profit from cotton production and whether they produce at the minimum
cost. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 150 respondents (134 males
headed households and 16 female headed households) from Chato District. Descriptive
statistics, net profit analysis and a Cobb Douglas stochastic frontier model were computed.
The mean net profit realized was 454 422 TZS/ha. The minimum and maximum net farm
income was -530 938 and 2 399 775 TZS/ha respectively. The results from quartiles range
show that majority of famers are getting profit but the level of profit is different where
others are getting lower profit or negative return. The return on investment was 0.86
shillings for every shilling invested. The study established that, all coefficients in the
frontier model (quantity of cotton harvested, seed, pesticides, fertilizer, land rent and
transport costs) have a positive sign indicating that as inputs, they have a positive
influence on the total production cost. The results show further that, the mean cost
efficiency of smallholder farmers in the study area was 2.9, the minimum cost efficiency
observed being 1 and the maximum was 6.4. The inefficiency model revealed that, cost efficiency among farmers was positively influenced by farmers’ education level, access to
extension services, family size and membership in cotton growing associations
Safety and quality of organically grown cloves (syzigium aromaticum) and black pepper (Piper nigrum l.) in Tawa Ward, Morogoro-Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019Participatory Action Research approach was used in this study involving organic spice
farmers from Tawa Ward within Morogoro region, researchers from Sokoine University
of Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania organization. Harvesting and post-
harvest handling practices by clove and black pepper organic farmers in Tawa Ward were
assessed. Five villages were visited, 107 organic farmers were interviewed, 34 among
them inspected and provided samples for analysis. Fungal quality in association to post-
harvest practices and moisture content was evaluated. Average moisture content was
18.7% (clove) and 12.3% (black pepper) in dry weight basis. It was observed that,
farmers use experience and color change to determine moisture content and therefore fail
to achieve the recommended moisture content of 12% as per Tanzania Bureau of
Standards. Farmers in this study practices mixed farming in farm sizes of less than 5
hectares and harvest less than 100 kg of spices annually. However, poor drying and
storage methods, mixing spice batches and attempts to treat spoiled spices were noticed as
critical points that compromises safety and quality. Fungi were isolated by using spread
plating method in PDA and V8 medias. Fungi identification were based on macro and
microscopic characteristics. Black pepper samples were found to be contaminated by
Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Penicillium and Fusarium fungal species at level of 2200 - >
30 000 cfu/g. Clove sample were contaminated by Aspergillus and Rhizopus species at
level of 100-60°C
fu/g in 46% of the samples. Longer storage time and mixing spices
with previous batches during storage showed higher influence on level of fungal
contamination. Also, this study measured levels of three heavy metals; Lead, Cadmium
and Chromium in the spice samples. Levels of all three metals were found to be below
permissible levels with average of 0.32±0.22mg/kg (Lead), 0.14±0.06mg/kg (Cadmium)
and 0.33±0.16 mg/kg (Chromium). Detection of Lead in 10% of the sample was highly related to poor storage. This study recommends improvement in post-harvest handling
approaches in order to ensure safety of the spices from Tawa Ward
Environmental performance of smallholder organic and conventional cotton production systems in Meatu, Tanzania
No full textA Thesis 2019Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is among the most important export crops in Tanzania,
contributing directly to peoples‘ livelihood and economic development. Cotton is grown
under both conventional and organic farming systems and both farming systems are
characterised by low cotton yield. Low fertilizer input use and low fertility contributes to
such low yields. A quick solution to address the low cotton yield seems to be enhanced use
of fertilizer and pesticide, which is also challenging on how to simultaneously sustain
natural resources conservation and the supply of cotton fibre. Inappropriate use of fertilizer
is linked to increased greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. One of these gases is nitrous
oxide (N 2 O), and nearly 2/3 of the anthropogenic N 2 O emission originates from
agricultural activities. However, there are limited studies involving in-situ measurement of
N 2 O in smllhoder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The use of organic and
synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can also change the soil environment and hence
microbial activity and soil quality. To address the problem of low cotton productivity,
adequate information on the soil status and its suitability for cotton production is
important. However, availability and acquisition of such information related to soil
qualities in the study area is limited.
This study was undertaken for two growing seasons in semi arid cotton growing areas in
Meatu, Simiyu region, Tanzania. This study aimed to generate soil information,
characterise and evaluate suitability of soils in these areas in terms of their qualities for
cotton cultivation; compare yield and economic performance of cotton in response to
different soil fertility and pest management practices under low input small holder
conventional and organic production systems; compare microbial activity as a proxy for soil quality and quantifying N 2 O emission from soil under different smallholder organic
and conventional cotton production practices.
To characterise the soils, four pedons were characterized namely Biore-P1 in Mwamishali
village, Ng'ho-P1 in Nghoboko village, IT-P1 in Sanga Itinje village and MWAB-P1 in
Mwabagalu village. Soil samples from the pedons' horizons were analyzed for physico-
chemical properties and were classified according to the USDA Soil Taxonomy and the
World Reference Base for Soil Resources. The soil suitability for cotton production was
evaluated by using most limiting criteria approach.
A field experiment was set to test performance indicators (yield, economic benefit
microbial activity and GHG emission) for fertility and pest management practice in organic
and conventional farming systems. For fertility management, the recommended and current
farming practices (30 kg N ha -1 and 3 Mg farm yard manura (FYM) ha -1 ) were tested
against high input scenario (60 kg N ha -1 and 5 Mg FYM ha -1 ) and alternative practices (30
kg N ha -1 + 3 Mg ha -1 FMY and 3 Mg ha -1 FMY + legume intercrop) for conventional and
organic cotton production, respectively. For pest management in conventional and organic
treatments, respectively, the current practice (3 sprays of synthetic pesticide and pyrthrum
spray as needed after scouting), higher rate (6 sprays of synthetic pesticide and pyrethrum
spray as needed after scouting) and alternative practice (3 sprays neem + cow urine and
spray of Neem + cow urine as needed after scouting) were tested.
Seed cotton yield, cost, revenue and gross margin for each treatment was measured to
estimate yield and economic performance. For GHG emission, in-situ measurement of N 2 O
emission from soil was done using static chambers technique and gas analysis by gas
chromatography (GC). For microbial activity, enzyme activity (arylsalfatase), potential nitrification, basal respiration and birch effect for plots under current practice,
recommended practice, high input scenario and alternative practices were tested against a
no fertilizer and no pesticide control treatment.
The results on soil site suitability show that soil moisture and temperature regimes in all
study areas were ustic and isohyperthermic respectively. Except for Mwabagalu, which
had very deep pedon (> 150 cm), all the other pedons had moderate deep and well drained
soils. For Mwamishali and Ng'hoboko CaCO 3 concretions were observed, which is a
characteristic of calcic horizon in subsoil. Soil texture was sandy clay throughout all
pedons with top soil pH ranging from neutral to strongly alkaline (pH 7.05 - 9.54). In all
areas pH increased with depth from topsoil to subsoil. The organic carbon content was low
to medium while total N concentrations were very low; CEC and exchangeable bases
ranged from low (19 and 10.1 cmol
(+)
kg -1 ) to medium (37 and 38.4 cmol
(+)
kg -1 )
repectively. According to the USDA Soil Taxonomy the soils at Mwamishali and
Ng'hoboko were classified as Pachic Calciustolls, while that of Sanga-Itinje and
Mwabagalu were Typic Rhodustalfs and Sodic Haplusterts, respectively. All the soils were
rated as marginally suitable for cotton production due to soil fertility limitations and
therfore, sustainable cotton production in these areas would need interventions for soil
fertility and soil moisture conservation improvement.
The results on yield and economic performance showed that, for the current farming
practice, organic and conventional farming practice had no significant difference in yield.
The seed cotton yield in current organic practice was 1.4 and 0.64 Mg ha -1 compared to the
conventional practice with yield of 1.3 and 0.37 Mg ha -1 for season 1 and 2 respectively.
The current organic farming practice had higher gross margin of USD 527 and 137 ha -1
compared to the conventional practice with gross margin of USD 321.2 and -74.9 ha -1 for season 1 and 2 respectively. However, at higher input rate (fertilizer and pesticide)
conventional cotton had significantly higher yield of 1.8 and 0.51 Mg ha -1 ) than organic
practice with seed cotton yield of 1.4 and 0.39 Mg ha -1 for season 1 and 2, respectively.
The high input conventional cotton had relatively lower gross margin of USD 463 and -
85.9 ha -1 compared to the organic practice with gross margin of USD 477 and -81.3 ha -1
for season 1 and 2, respectively. For organic cotton practice the alternative practices
(intercropping cotton with green gram) had lower cotton yield of 1.3 Mg ha -1 in season 1
than the alternative conventional (1.7 Mg ha -1 ) but had higher gross margin (USD 616.2
ha -1 ) than conventional (USD 476 ha -1 ) as a result of additional revenue from green gram.
For conventional cotton the alternative practice of combining inorganic fertilizer and
manure outperformed the current practice by having both better yield and gross margin. In
the season with less rainfall (season 2) the control outperformed all other treatments in
terms of economic return indicating the rationale for farmers reluctance in investing on
inputs under such conditions.
The results on N 2 O emission show that the current organic and conventional cotton
farming practices had similar (p < 0.05) cumulative area-scaled N 2 O emission. However,
yield-scaled emissions were significantly higher in conventional than organic farming
systems. For the high input scenario conventional cotton had higher area-scaled and yield-
scaled N 2 O emission than organic cotton in season 1 which received higher rainfall (759
mm) but not in season 2 which had less rainfall (522 mm). A combination of manure and
inorganic fertilizer as alternative practice reduced yield-scale N 2 O emission by 17% from
inorganic fertilizer. In season 1, intercropping cotton with legumes reduced area-scaled
emission by 27%. The emission factor for both conventional and organic systems were <
1% of applied total N. Although the cummulative N 2 O emission varied between season 1
(0.24 and 0.31 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 ) and season 2 (0.52 and 0.60 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 ), results show that the current smallholder organic and conventional cotton farming practices had similar
soil N 2 O emission, which is very low compared to reported emissions from cotton fields in
high input farming system (0.78 - 10.6 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 ).
The results also revealed no significant (P<0.05) difference in microbial activity between
organic and conventional cotton production practices using the current levels of fertilizer
and pesticide. However, increasing N level as synthetic fertilizer or manure increased
microbial activity. Manure fertilizer combination as an integrated practice increased
arylsulfatase activity and potential nitrification but relatively reduced basal respiration in
conventional farming in both seasons. Intercropping green gram increased microbial
activity (arylsulfatase) but reduced potential nitrification and basal respiration and hence
had no clear trend on improving soil microbial activity. Pest management had no effect in
microbial activity in both organic and conventional farming practice and there was no
significant difference between organic and conventional.
The major conclusions drawn from this study are that, all the soils were rated as marginally
suitable for cotton production due to soil fertility limitations and hence sustainable cotton
production in these areas would need interventions for soil fertility improvement. For the
existing smallholder farming system in Meatu, Tanzania, organic and conventional cotton
system have similar agronomic and economic perfromance. Increasing input level in
conventional cotton would have higher yield with low economic return than organic.
Combining manure and inorganic fertilizer as well as intercropping cotton with grain
legumes has potential for increasing yields while reducing the risk of increased N 2 O
emission from cotton fields and improving microbial activity and hence soil quality.
Under the prevailing semi-arid conditions, smallholder farmers are rational on limited use
of fertilizer and pesticide. Based on these conclusions it is recommended that alternative practice of cotton-legume
intercrop, fertilizer-manure combination and pest control by neem and cow urine mixture
are viable farming practices for smallholder cotton farmers. Further studies on the effect of
cotton-legume intercrop on soil microbial activity that include other legume species are
recommended. Further studies that include higher input levels and higher sampling
frequencies for GHG are also recommended
Effects of land use on abundance, distribution and domestication of helmeted guineafowl in Western and Eastern Serengeti ecosystem
No full textA Dissertation 2019The aim of the study was to investigate effects of land use on abundance,
distribution and domestication of Helmeted Guinea fowl in western and eastern
Serengeti ecosystem. This study addressed three objectives: (1) to determine
abundance, density and spatial distribution of the Helmeted Guinea fowl in various
vegetation/habitat and land use types; (2) to determine the species site occupancy
probability in various habitats and land use types; (3) to assess stocks of Helmeted
Guinea fowl under domestication in western and eastern Serengeti ecosystems.
Birds were surveyed between November, 2017 and April, 2018 in the land use
types of conservation areas, agro-pastoral and pastoralism zones using distance
sampling technique. Household surveys were conducted to assess stock size and the
socio-economics of the domesticated population of the Helmeted-Guinea fowl in
residential areas. Abundance was found to be higher in areas of sparse vegetation in
wooded grassland (147 birds) and in conservation areas (central Serengeti) (163
birds) while the densities were higher in bushed grassland (2.058 individuals/km 2 )
as well as in conservation areas (6.042 individuals/km 2 ). The study found a
significance difference in abundance between various habitat types (Kruskal
Wallis: α = 0.05, p = 0.0495) and among land use types (p = 0.043). Site occupancy
probability among land uses suggests that pastoral activity (grazing) has low effect
on natural habitats and supported higher bird occupancy probability, ψ 0.3238 ±
0.1408 than agro-pastoral (cultivated) zone, which demonstrated least site
occupancy probability, ψ 0.3055 ± 0.1125. On the other hand, Helmeted Guinea fowl occupancy probability was most influenced by bushed grassland in areas used
by wildlife and livestock in pastoral and Game controlled areas in eastern
Serengeti, ψ 0.2874 ± 0.1374 compared to the bushed grassland bordering
conservation areas and village lands in western Serengeti, ψ 0.2845 ± 0.1364.
The extent of farming was found to be dominated by free ranging and caging
system that hold the potential to support household economy for the keepers
through selling farmed birds. This survey discovered that keepers capture birds and
collect eggs on cultivated areas, grazing land, and in the protected areas, which
increases threat to the species. The effect of land use is more intense in western
than eastern Serengeti, therefore, this study recommends an urgent implementation
of land use plan as well as directing other conservation and monitoring efforts to
the villages surrounding Serengeti ecosystem
Validation of droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction for the detection and absolute quantification of Taenia solium eggs in spiked soil samples
No full textJournal articleTo enable the detection of taeniid eggs in environmental samples, a sensitive technology is required. In this
study, we validated the effectiveness of a digital droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) assay for detection,
identification and absolute quantification of taeniid DNA from artificially contaminated soils with varying
numbers of taeniid eggs using a set of universal primers, JB3 & JB4.5. The results showed that the number of
cox1 copies detected increased gradually for both species with the number of taeniid eggs added to the different
soil types. The highest cox1 DNA copies recovery for Taenia solium and T. lynciscapreoli was from the sand soil
with lowest recovery being observed in clay soils. Therefore, ddPCR is a promising technology for screening of
taeniid eggs from soil samples collected in the environment irrespective of the soil type and the number of eggs.
The potential of the ddPCR protocol to detect taeniid egg DNA in spiked soil samples has great practical application
for taeniid egg screening in soils from endemic areas. However, when universal primers are used in
screening environmental samples, the identity of ddPCR positive samples must be confirmed by sequencing. In
addition, more validation studies using species-specific primers and field soil samples is recommended
Assessment of effective control methods for parthenium weed in maize fields
No full textProceedings of Scientific Conference on Transforming Agriculture and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development to Attain Industrial Economy in Tanzania, pp. 83-93In the near future, labour to assist in weed management in the villages will become scarce and expensive,
because of population drift from villages to cities. It is necessary to develop cheaper methods of weed
management that will reduce weed impact on maize yield. A field experiment was conducted at the
Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI), Arusha-Tanzania during the long rain season of 2017, to
identify control methods for parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.). The experiment was laid out
in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Treatments were hand hoeing
(twice), mulches (dry grass and cowpeas), application of 2, 4-D (twice), weed free plots and un-weeded
plots. Data collected include plant height at flowering (m), leaf length and width (m), number of leaves at
flowering, number of days to (tasseling, silking and milking), tassel length (m), number of days to maize
maturity, plant height at maturity (m), number of plants harvested, ear length and diameter (m), number of
kernel rows/ear, number of kernels/row and grain yield (t/ha)at 12% moisture content, parthenium weed
plant height (m), canopy width (m), and number of parthenium plants before weeding, height (m) and
number of parthenium plants at maize maturity. Statistical analysis was performed using Genstat software
(16th edition) and means were separated by Tukey’s mean separation test at p≤0.05. The results show
that, mulches significantly reduced parthenium height and population in the maize crop at maturity
(p<0.05). Plant height at flowering, leaf length and width, number of days to tasseling, tassel length,
number of days to silking, milking, maturity, plant height at maturity and number of plants harvested were
not significantly affected by any of the weed management methods. Thus mulching and 2, 4-D were found
to be the best methods for controlling parthenium weed growth and population