May 18, 2015
Source: CIMMYT Blog
by Brenda Wawa and Njeri Okono
Participants are shown how to inspect maize fields for MLN symptoms and how to collect samples for laboratory analysis. Photo: B. Das/CIMMYT.
Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) has rapidly emerged as one of the deadliest maize diseases in eastern Africa, capable of causing complete yield loss under heavy disease pressure. This means that Kenya and neighboring countries, which largely depend on maize as their main staple food and source of income are on the verge of a looming food and economic crisis.
From March 17-19 2015, 60 phytosanitary regulators and seed industry scientists from 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa attended an MLN diagnostics and screening workshop in Naivasha, Kenya. The objective of the workshop was twofold: to train scientists on the latest diagnostics and screening methods for MLN, as well as to share knowledge on how to control the spread of MLN in the region.
CIMMYT staff demonstrate DAS–ELISA method used for detecting MLN-causing viruses. Photo: B. Das/CIMMYT.
“This is my first time to see an MLN-infected plant. Now I understand the impact of MLN on maize production and the need to set up a seed regulatory facility. South Sudan has no laboratory to test planting materials. My first step will be to talk to my counterparts in the ministry to set up one,” said Taban James, a regulator from the Ministry of Agriculture in South Sudan. More on the workshop
This week, CIMMYT and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) are co-organizing an international conference on the Diagnostics and Management of MLN in Africa. “The profound implication of MLN for Africa’s most important grain – maize – is a reality that cannot be ignored. We have a responsibility to work together and control its spread, as scientists continue to work hard in developing maize varieties that can effectively resist the MLN viruses,” said B.M. Prasanna, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program. See conference press release
And for the cropping season starting at the end of this month, CIMMYT has an open call for MLN screening.
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