Abstract: Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) is grown throughout the world and provides the greatest fresh fruit production of any citrus groups. In freshly harvested fruits, as the quality deterioration and the susceptibility of the stored products to decay caused by microbial spoilage and pathogens increases progressively. The application of an edible coating onto the fruit surface modifies the internal atmosphere in the same way that does plastic films by increasing the carbon dioxide ...
Abstract: Phytopathogenic fungi result in a significant loss in agricultural production. The use of bio fungicides to manage these fungal pathogens has become a more appealing option than using conventional synthetic fungicides since they are relatively environmentally safe. Chitinolytic enzymes are environmentally friendly antifungal agents used to control fungal phytopathogens. Therefore, this study was conducted to extract chitinase enzyme from fungi and determine the fungicidal effect of...
Abstract: Infectious diseases are the critical problems of the world as a result of the emergence of different antimicrobial resistant microorganisms. Medicinal plants play great roles in the treatment of various infectious diseases. Catha edulis, of the Celastraceae family, is a natural stimulant found as a flowering evergreen tree and is widespread in Africa and southern parts of Arabia. Therefore, the aim of the study was to detect the presence of the main secondary compounds classes from...
Abstract: This study evaluated the performance of five eri (Bere, Cross, EKPR, EKSCR, India) and five mulberry (China-2, Kenya-2, Kenya-3, Kenya-4, Korea-1) silkworm strains and observe the level of diseases incidence on farmer management condition in between March and May 2018, in Arba Minch. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. The study revealed that mature larvae of eri silkworm strains significantly varied on nutritional indices and s...
Abstract: The livelihood of the community in the study areas is highly dependent on the production of wheat crop. But the production of wheat crop is challenged by biotic and abiotic factors in the study area. Among the biotic factors rust disease is one and highly affecting the production and productivity of the crop. This study aimed to identify the adaptation strategies against emerging wheat rust disease and determinants of farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies against this disease....
Abstract: The Botswana Police Pathology unit records show that a total of 368 cases of suicide were reported between 2016 and 2019. A total of 367 of these cases were suicide by hanging while only 1 was of suicide by self-strangulation. Literature shows that suicidal ligature self-strangulation is uncommon and, in most cases, common household items such as scarves, belts, neckties and rope are used. We report an instance where a 25-year-old African male used two black plastic ligatures, each...
Abstract: In agricultural ecosystems, insect pests, pathogens, weather patterns, and reduced soil fertility pose major challenges to crop productivity and are responsible for significant yield losses worldwide. Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) vectored by Thrips tabaci Lindeman,is a major hindrance to onion production in eastern Africa. Control measures often rely on insecticides with deleterious effects. Endophytes are one key alternative as they can play important roles in mediating induced s...
Abstract: Citrus greening is a serious disease of Citrus sp. and has been associated with the collapse of several citrus industries in Asia and America (Bové 2006). The disease is associated with the presence of a phloem-limited bacterium, of the ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ genus. ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’, the principal agent of African citrus greening disease (ACG) has been reported in South, East, and Central Africa (Aubert et al. 1988; Garnier and Bové 1996), but its pr...
Abstract: Endophytic fungi live within plant tissues without causing any harm to the host, promote its growth, and induce systemic resistance against pests and diseases. To mitigate the challenging concealed feeding behavior of immature stages of Tuta absoluta in both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and nightshade (Solanum scabrum) host plants, 15 fungal isolates were assessed for their endophytic and insecticidal properties. Twelve isolates were endophytic to both host plants with varied colo...
Abstract: The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a key pest of Citrus spp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las)”, the bacterial pathogen associated with the destructive Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Recent detection of D. citri in Africa and reports of Las-associated HLB in Ethiopia suggest that the citrus industry on the continent is under imminent threat. Endosymbionts and gut bacteria play key roles in the biology of arthropods, especia...
Abstract: Entomopathogenic fungi are commonly applied as inundative sprays to protect plants against insect pests. Their artificial establishment as fungal endophytes to provide other benefits to the host plants aside mere protection against the primary pests has also been widely demonstrated. In the present study, two fungal strains of Beauveria bassiana and one strain of Isaria fumosorosea were assessed in a pathogenicity test against adults of Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and f...
Abstract: African citrus greening is a destructive disease of citrus that has been reported in South Africa since the 1920s. The disease is associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’ (Laf) and is transmitted by Trioza erytreae (Cook et al. 2014; McClean 1974). The related bacteria ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las), which is associated with the much more severe Huanglongbing disease and is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, was recently reported in Ethiopia (Saponari et...
Abstract: Aphids vector many plant viruses in a non-persistent manner i.e., virus particles bind loosely to the insect mouthparts (stylet). This means that acquisition of virus particles from infected plants, and inoculation of un infected plants by viruliferous aphids, are rapid processes that require only brief probes of the plant’s epidermal cells. Virus infection alters plant biochemistry, which causes changes in emission of volatile organic compounds and altered accumulation of nutrie...
Abstract: Endophytic fungi are important in diverse plant functions but knowledge of the factors that shape assemblages of these symbionts is lacking. Here, using a culture-dependent approach, we report 4,178 endophytic fungal isolates representing 16 orders isolated from stems, roots and leaves of three cruciferous plant species, Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and white cabbage (B. olerocea L.), collected from 21 focal fields with different landscape contex...
Abstract: Potato cyst nematodes (PCN), such as Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida, are quarantine restricted pests of potato causing major yield and financial losses to farmers. G. rostochiensis was first reported from Kenya’s key potato growing area in 2015. We sought to determine the diversity, prevalence and distribution of PCN species across the country by conducting a country-wide survey between 2016 and 2018, which included a more focused, follow-up assessment in three key...