Napier grass smut and

stunt resistance

ASARECA Project 06/RC01-FC-2-02 (LFP PRJ 12)

Presented at the ASARECA/ILRI Workshop on Mitigating the Impact of Napier Grass Smut and Stunt Diseases, Addis Ababa, June 2-3, 2010

Napier grass is grown extensively in Kenya and Uganda by smallholder farmers as feed for stall fed dairy cows

Napier grass smut and stunt both

severely reduce plant biomass production. This is limiting feed

availability for smallholder farmers

Napier grass smut

Napier grass stunt

Effect of Napier grass stunt on fodder yield,

Uganda

2007

2009

Project leaders from Tanzania, Uganda

and Kenya

Some of wider project team

ILRIINTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE INSTITUTE

Napier GrassNapier grass is a major cut and carry feed for cross bred dairy cattle. Smut and stunt diseases are causing yield reductions.Working together can reduce the impact of stunt and smut on smallholder dairy farms in East Africa.

This project is:Responding to the disease threats to a smallholder dairy industry dependent on Napier grassRaising awareness of Napier grass smut and stunt in the regionResponding to demand for information on managing Napier grass smut and stuntResponding to demand for productive and resistant clones of Napier grass from NARS and farmers in the region

Best management practicesInspect your crop regularly and remove diseased plantsKeep Napier healthy by weeding and manuring plotsUse planting material from disease free areas

A partnership approach to mitigate the effects of Napier diseases on smallholder dairy

Partners: International Livestock Research Institute, Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute, National Biological Control Program (Tanzania), National Livestock Resource Research Institute (Uganda), Rothamsted Research (UK), International Centre for Insect Physiology and EcologyContact: Dr Jean Hanson, j.hanson@cgiar.org Dr Janice Proud, j.proud@cgiar.org

Stall fed cows face feed shortages

Screening for disease incidence

Stunt affected plant

Different strains of stunt

Website screenshot(https:/sites.google.com/site/napiergrassdiseaseresistance)

Raising awareness National team leaders

Information gathering and dissemination

Weighing biomass

Healthy Napier grass

ILRI’s role in the project In proposal• Nutritional analysis for project (student from region)• Molecular characterisation for project (student from region)• Validate and test smut diagnostics• Arrange and host training in molecular diagnostics• Screen ILRI collection for smut & stunt• Arrange annual regional meeting• Train and support partners in M&E, using Outcome Mapping• Project coordination

Subsequently added• Further development work on smut diagnostics• Training national partners in molecular diagnostics• Transfer of ILRI collection to Kenya for disease screening• Website development and maintenance• Regional final workshop to disseminate project results

Surveys and collections Surveys carried out in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, in selected districts representing 3 agro-ecological zones

Clones that farmers thought disease tolerant collected and planted in each country

Households surveyed Clones collected

Kenya 515 597

Tanzania 250 212

Uganda 296 52

Technical progress

Data from surveys collated in each country to identify:• how Napier grass is selected and grown• how it is managed managed for yield • how it is managed to mitigate the impact of disease• the extent and severity of disease in the selected areas

Morphological characterisation and biomass trials

Napier grass from national collections selected for replicate trials on basis of disease resistance, high yield and variation in morphology

Clones collected Clones in trial

Kenya 597 120

Tanzania 212 30

Uganda 52 56

Napier grass characterised for morphological traits using standard protocol. Traits can be used to select clones desirable to farmers, less hairy and serrated

High yielding clones identified in each national trial

Technical progress

Nutritional quality and molecular diversity

Nutritional quality• All replicates of clones in national

trials analysed at two harvest using NIRS, at ILRI, Addis Ababa

• Equation for Napier grass expanded and used to predict nutritive quality

• High and low quality clones identified for each country

Molecular diversity• All clones from national trials and

ILRI collection (60) analysed using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, at BecA/ILRI, Nairobi

• 64 primer pairs tested, 10 pairs selected for analysis of the 281 samples

Near Infra Red Spectral analysis

M57 M58 M59

M60 M61 M62

M63 M64

Technical progress

Disease incidence and severity Replicated trials planted with spreader rows of infected plants for field challenge for stunt

Disease scored after each harvest

Uganda all clones susceptible to stunt

Clones showing tolerance planted for further challenge with vector

To date, still 14 clones disease free in Tanzania and 40 in Kenya, of which 28 high yielding

Clones in trial

Clones vector challenge

Disease free clones

Disease free high yielding clones

Kenya 120 83 40 28

Tanzania 30 15 14 No data yet

Uganda 56 0 0 0

Technical progress

Molecular diagnostics Napier grass smut• Causal agent of Napier grass smut, Ustilago

kamerunensis, cultured, used to infect healthy plants

• Sequenced for first time• Primers and probe designed and being

optimised for PCR and Nucleic Acid Hybridisation

Napier grass stunt• Better primers and probe designed for

detection of phytoplasma strains causing Napier grass stunt in Ethiopia and Kenya

Capacity building• Training manual prepared• Training planned to share techniques with

regional partners for use in their institutes or BecA nodes in their countries

UE

UcynodontisAF038825

UcynodontisAY740168

UcynodontisAY345000

UsparsaAY345008

UxerochloaeAY345012

Ucalamagrostidis

UstriiformisAY740172

Usporoboli indiciAY772739

UpamiricaAY345005

UtriticiAF135424

UbullataAY344998

Uturcomanica

UphrygicaDQ139961

UnudaAF135430

UhordeiAF105224

UavenaeAY344997

UtriodiaeAY740075

UechinataAY345001

UtraganaAY740072

UvetiveriaeAY345011

UtrichophoraAY345009

UschroeterianaAY345006

UfiliformisAY740066

UtrichophoraAY740073

UKFKenya

UKBKenya

UdavisiiAY740169

UalcorniiAY740165

UsculentaAB211929

UspermophoraAY740171

Uaustro africanaAY740061

UdrakensbergianaAY740170

UcrameriAY344999

UbouriquetiAY740167

PseudozymaAM160635

100

66

67

100

93

98

96

93

83

71

92

56

69

81

68

65

69

90

0.01

• Phylogenetic tree based on ITS

• Ethiopian sample (UE) identical to U. cynodontis

• Kenyan samples separate and close to U. trichophora

• No U. kamerunensis sequences in Genbank

Technical progress

Collecting and sharing information

Focus during surveys:• collecting information on:

– disease extent and severity– best practices to manage the diseases

• raising awareness of smut and stunt, especially in Tanzania where they had not been recorded previously

Knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing

Then:• raising awareness of smut and stunt• sharing best management practices• getting feedback

Using a variety of means:• leaflets• posters• drama

In different settings:• on farm• at markets• at roadside

• at stakeholder meetings• at agricultural shows• at field days

• song• radio• participatory assessment

• TV• website

Knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing

Influencing policy

Activities• Participation at agricultural shows• Invitations of policy makers to

stakeholder meetings• Raising awareness of diseases in

media (newspaper, radio, TV)• Policy briefs

Outcomes• Research, extension work and

disease reporting supported• Proposals funded

– for extension work to share knowledge

– to increase understanding of the disease

Capacity building

Integral to project, both locally and regionally• Nutritional quality at ILRI Addis, Clementine Namazzi (Uganda)• Molecular characterisation at ILRI Nairobi, Bramwel Wanjala

(Kenya)• Biomass yield, morphological characterisation and disease

incidence and severity in each country, national in each country

Capacity of project leaders enhanced through the rigorous cycle of:

• workplan and budget preparation• recording and reporting on finances• reporting on technical progress• presentations on project activities to different groups• Outcome mapping of project progress

• ICIPE working on east Africa promoting Push Pull technology for Striga and maize stem borer control have real concern about Napier diseases, working to identify vector of Napier grass stunt, will promote disease resistant clones

• East Africa Dairy Development project, a link for dissemination of best management practices and disease resistant planting material

• FOA promoting Napier grass in Burundi, have disease problem and want to learn more from this project.

• Many local partnerships at all levels, from research to sharing knowledge

Regional relevance and linkagesNapier grass stunt is a severe threat to smallholder dairy sector in western Kenya and Uganda, an emerging disease in Tanzania and suspected in Burundi.

Napier grass smut is a threat in central Kenya, where stunt is now an emerging disease.

Technical reporting

Reporting, following ASARECA structures• Six monthly reporting by partners• Collated by ILRI to single report for ASARECA, with follow up by

email for clarification, extra information• Analysis of pooled national data for regional overview• Similar procedures for annual report• Progress indicators calculated as progress made in different

activities needed to complete the indicator

Outcome mapping reporting• Training at inception reporting• Support at meetings to develop indicators• Follow up training at regional meeting end year 2• Initial outcome mapping report develop by partners• Further support to complete reports including participation at

final national stakeholder meetings

Financial procedures and reporting

Using ASARECA formats• Partners prepare budget for workplan activities for each year• Submitted to ASARECA as annual financing plan for project• Fund request submitted to ILRI with budget for year• First advance 80% of year 1 budget• Submission of financial report and supporting documents to ILRI

6 monthly• Expenditure checked against workplan activities and budget• Expenditure recorded by ILRI finance• Expenditure reported to ASARECA 6 monthly• Subsequent advances made against cleared expenditure of at

least 75% of advanced funds

Gender

• This project is important for women in East Africa, since women provide most of the labour on smallholder dairy farms.

• The project outputs of management practices to mitigate the impact of Napier grass diseases and disease resistant planting material will have a significant impact on women by improving Napier grass production.

• Increased Napier grass production will increase milk yield, benefiting women and their children through enhanced nutrition and income from milk.

• The project has also developed the capacity of women scientist in the region, both in the project team in each country and other staff.

• Several of the project team have benefitted from participation in the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) program of the CGIAR

Thank you to ASARECA and ADB for funding this work

1 Demand driven technologies/innovations generated and promoted

3 Regional and national capacity for implementing agricultural research in the IAR4D paradigm strengthened

4 Availability of information on agricultural research and development enhanced

GULU

KOTIDO

LIRA

MUKONO

KITGUM

APAC

MASINDI

PADERARUA

MOROTO

HOIMA

BUGIRI

RAKAI

KALANGALA

MPIGI

MUBENDE

KAMULI

KUMI

MASAKA

KATAKWI

MAYUGE

KIBOGA

KIBAALE

NEBBI

SOROTI

KASESE

BUSHENYI

NAKAPIRIPIRIT

KYENJOJO

WAKISO

YUMBE

IBANDA

NAKASEKE

IGANGA

MOYO

ADJUMANI

ISINGIRO

KIRUHURA

LUWERO

PALLISA

NAKASONGOLA

KABALE

TORORO

MBALE

KAMWENGE

SEMBABULE

MBARARA

NTUNGAMO

KAYUNGA

KABAROLE

BUNDIBUGYO

RUKUNGIRI

JINJA

KAPCHORWA

KANUNGU

BUSIA

SIRONKO

KABERAMAIDO

KISORO

KAMPALA

N

90 0 90 180 Kilometers

o

w

i

u

ve

e

r

b

Unsurveyed districts

u

rv

e

GULU

KOTIDO

LIRA

MUKONO

KITGUM

APAC

MASINDI

PADERARUA

MOROTO

HOIMA

BUG

GULU

KOTIDO

LIRA

MUKONO

KITGUM

APAC

MASINDI

PADERARUA

MOROTO

HOIMA

BUGIRI

RAKAI

KALANGALA

MPIGI

MUBENDE

KAMULI

KUMI

MASAKA

KATAKWI

MAYUGE

KIBOGA

KIBAALE

NEBBI

SOROTI

KASESE

BUSHENYI

NAKAPIRIPIRIT

KYENJOJO

WAKISO

YUMBE

IBANDA

NAKASEKE

IGANGA

MOYO

ADJUMANI

ISINGIRO

KIRUHURA

LUWERO

PALLISA

NAKASONGOLA

IRI

RAKAI

KALANGALA

MPIGI

MUBENDE

KAMULI

KUMI

MASAKA

KATAKWI

MAYUGE

KIBOGA

KIBAALE

NEBBI

SOROTI

KASESE

BUSHENYI

NAKAPIRIPIRIT

KYENJOJO

WAKISO

YUMBE

IBANDA

NAKASEKE

IGANGA

MOYO

ADJUMANI

ISINGIRO

KIRUHURA

LUWERO

PALLISA

NAKASONGOLA

KABALE

TORORO

MBALE

KAMWENGE

SEMBABULE

MBARARA

NTUNGAMO

KAYUNGA

KABAROLE

BUNDIBUGYO

RUKUNGIRI

JINJA

KAPCHORWA

KANUNGU

BUSIA

SIRONKO

KABERAMAIDO

KISORO

KAMPALA

N

90 0 90 180 Kilometers

o

w

i

u

ve

e

r

b

KABALE

TORORO

MBALE

KAMWENGE

SEMBABULE

MBARARA

NTUNGAMO

KAYUNGA

KABAROLE

BUNDIBUGYO

RUKUNGIRI

JINJA

KAPCHORWA

KANUNGU

BUSIA

SIRONKO

KABERAMAIDO

KISORO

KAMPALA

N

90 0 90 180 Kilometers

o

w

i

u

ve

e

r

b

Unsurveyed districts

u

rv

e

which is working to ensure that farmers have productive disease free Napier grass for their cows to help feed and support their families, while meeting ASARECA objectives:

Napier grass stunt in Uganda