December 1, 2015

Source: CIMMYT
By Brenda Wawa

Healthy maize plant at the Kiboko research station in eastern Kenya. B. Wawa/CIMMYT

When maize lethal necrosis was first reported in Kenya in 2011, its devastating effects swept through farmers’ fields as well as seed production fields of some of East Africa’s major seed companies. Likewise, CIMMYT’s research work was at grave risk, including the crucial breeding work undertaken at the Kiboko maize research stationwhere CIMMYT is hosted by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).

Consequently, CIMMYT implemented preventive measures by adopting internal diagnosis and protocols that rigorously monitor the presence, if any, of MLN pathogen transmission through seed. Also, CIMMYT Maize Program imposed a self-moratorium on shipment of any maize seed, including research or trial materials, from CIMMYT–Kenya to MLN-free countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) or outside the continent. CIMMYT also adopted a participatory approach with neighboring farmers of Kiboko research station and key stakeholders to jointly control MLN incidence..

In October 2015, CIMMYT held its 4th stakeholders meeting that brought together 56 farmers, community leaders, administrators, government extension officers, KALRO and CIMMYT staff, to share new information on MLN and agree on feasible ways to control the incidence and spread of MLN. The meeting also discussed and agreed on maize planting dates for October 2015 and April 2016, and the maize-free month for 2016. Engaging farmers is crucial and the main reason why the Kiboko facility has “remained MLN-free and transmission from the farms close by has gone down significantly,” explained Joel Mbithi, the Kiboko Farm Manager.

Neighboring farmers are those growing maize within a five-kilometer radius of Kiboko. “This radius is the area that can be a source of inoculum for our station, especially since the maize is irrigated” explains Lewis Machida, a CIMMYT maize breeder. “Therefore, if we can control this area by closely partnering with the farmers, we will be able to stem transmission of the disease into the station.”

But the efforts are not limited to this ‘circle’: a major decision taken during the 2014 stakeholders meeting was to invite farmers beyond the five-kilometer radius who too have been affected by MLN. This includes the neighboring Makindu County, 15km away. Virginia Mwanzia is one such Makindu farmer who attended the meeting for the first time. She stopped growing maize in 2014 after her one-acre farm was ravaged by MLN and she lost her entire maize crop. “The devastation caused by this disease was unbelievable. Plants got infected very fast and I had to uproot and bury all my maize,” Virginia lamented.

For more than 15 years, maize farming had been a key source of income for the 43-year-old single mother of three, but she has now turned to growing green gram. However, she remains very keen to return to maize and hopes to learn more about the disease and how to manage it to reduce losses. “I still hesitate to plant maize again and really hope this will soon change, because maize is an important crop for me and my family,” she adds.

Participants were fully briefed on the symptoms of MLN, its causal viruses – maize chlorotic mottle virus and sugarcane mosaic virus – and various agronomic practices to help farmers manage, monitor and arrest transmission in their farms. These practices include a mutually agreed maize-free period, crop rotation, early identification of the disease if any, and crop diversification. CIMMYT staff for the briefing included L.M. Suresh, Bruce Anani, and Anne Wangui. A write-up on MLN symptoms was given to help farmers to identify infected plants. The rule of thumb for effective MLN management as given by Suresh is to “know the symptoms of MLN, understand the disease cycle and apply time-tested MLN management practices.”

Farmers speak on the ‘maize-free period’

As in previous meetings, farmers agreed to have a one month ‘maize-free period’ in March 2016. All farmers were committed to plant their maize by 20 November 2015, during the October–December short rains and harvest by February 2016. The farms will be visited in mid-December to assess adherence to the agreed planting dates and to monitor any disease incidence.

Jeremiah Ngaya, a farmer, reported on the effectiveness of for the maize-free period over the last three years. “Farmers who followed this advice have not been affected by MLN. The few whose farms were affected were able to identify the infected plants early enough, and they uprooted and buried them. I can say with confidence that up to the recent [2015] long rains, there were very few cases of MLN in Kiboko, thanks to this awareness and teamwork.”

“I adhered to the ‘maize-free period’ during the last 2014 planting season and my farm stayed clean,” says John Makindu, a maize farmer in Kiboko. “Sadly, most of my neighbors who also plant irrigated maize did not heed the advice. Their crop was completely destroyed by the disease. I know the maize-free month works. I will definitely observe it in March 2016, and will encourage others to do so.”

Besides farmers, these MLN mitigation measures also protect the seed industry. Mosisa Regasa, Seed Systems Specialist at CIMMYT, notes “CIMMYT’s germplasm reaches many farmers in sub-Saharan Africa; hence keeping the seed clean is a key priority.” He adds that so far, Kiboko residents have greatly contributed to checking MLN transmission. “More famers will be engaged to keep the disease away. Not just around Kiboko facility but beyond,” he concluded.

Links

New project on maize lethal necrosis to curb the spread of the disease
Zimbabwe and CIMMYT to establish maize lethal necrosis quarantine facility
Sin in the seed: Meeting of minds to combat maize lethal necrosis
Video: Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) threatens Africa’s food security

Website: http://www.cimmyt.org

Published: December 1, 2015