Download - By Dr. Nelson Wanyera Plant Breeder
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Improvement of finger millet productivity through genetic enhancement and promotion of end-user
product utilization options for market demand
By Dr. Nelson Wanyera
Plant Breeder
Assets/InfrastructureAsset Number Remarks
Office space 4 Walls cracked, roof falling off
Lab 1 Being used by Dr. Olupot
Vehicles 2 One project vehicle, old nissan recently imobilzed
Motor cycle 1 Working, needs minor repairs
Stores 1 Security needed, broken into twice
Laptop 1 Working
Camera 1 Project
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Background and problem• Most of the finger millet in Uganda is produced by
subsistence-oriented families. • Typically, they do not use external inputs and labor is limited
for effective weed control. • Yields are constrained by frequent drought and low soil
fertility, and deficiencies of N and P. • Population pressure has forced finger millet farmers to reduce
fallow periods or expand cultivation to marginal lands. • Consequently, this has increased erosion, depleted nutrient
stocks, provoked the build-up of weeds and other pest and denuded large areas natural vegetation.
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Background cont.• Major finger millet stresses are blast disease, drought, stem
borers and Striga spp. • To redress the declining productivity, stabilize production and, in
the long term, improve profitability in finger millet production systems, a complementary package of easily adopted technologies must be developed for resource-poor farmers.
• The major focus of this project is productivity enhancement through integrated genetic and natural resource management.
• New multiple stress-resistant cultivars with improved yield potential will continue to be developed.
Scientist Responsibility Institution
Wanyera Nelson Leader/Breeder NaSARRI
Obuo John Peter Agronomist NaSARRI
Elobu Pius Soil fertility NaSARRI
Nabeta Naomi Socioeconomist NabZARDI
Lubadde Geofrey Pathologist NaSARRI
Akol Richard Technician NaSARRI
Research Team
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Overall Objective
• To increase finger millet productivity and farmers’ income through genetic improvement, enhanced access to quality seed, better use of agronomic practices, production of value-added products, farmer empowerment in knowledge and access to inputs
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Specific Objectives• High yield and stability of finger millet varieties, with good
tillering ability, medium plant height with strong straw.• To develop early and medium maturing varieties resistant to
lodging, diseases (blast), Striga weed, drought and for specific end -use
• To evaluate local and introduced finger millet varieties for grain quality, malting potential and yield for local and industrial use.
• To improve yields through the use of integrated agronomic management technologies.
• To promote millet-based products and value addition technologies in finger millet.
• To establish strong partnership with clients and other end-users
Research Report
• Collection and characterization of germplasm• Crosses and segregating populations• Variety Trials• Popularization / demonstration and scaling up• Develop farmer-based seed production and
delivery systems• Fertilizer use and application• Value addition (millet-based flour)
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Achievements
Characterization• 700 accessions evaluated for morphological,
agronomic and nutritional traits• Evaluated in multiple environments (5 each)
for yield and other agronomic traits• Location-wise promising genotypes identified
for on-station and on-farm testing
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Activity: Collection and characterization of germplasm
Characterization for nutritional traits
Trait Range
Collection Controls
Fe (mg Kg-
1)16.8-88.4 (IE 4708)
24.7-40.3
Zn (mg kg-
1)3.0-31.0 (IE 3120)
17.8-22.0
Ca (mg kg-
1)1700-5100 (IE 4476)
2700-3100
Protein (%) 5.4-12.7 (IE 6537, PESE 1)
6.7-8.2
Biochemical analysisCrop Average Beta-
carotene content
Finger millet 0.85 ug/100g
Foxtail millet 0.79 ug/100g
Pearl millet 25.00 ug/100g
maize 171 ug/100g
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Activity 1.2: Evaluation for biotic and abiotic stresses
• Sources of resistance to blast disease in finger millet
• Greenhouse screening – 22 highly resistant, 43 resistant to leaf blast
• The best selections at 5 hotspots, based on yield and blast reaction: ‘Kabale’, ‘IE 2522’, ‘Uganda coll. 1 sel 2’, ‘Atutnuru’, ‘Acc 58 FMB /01’, ‘KNE 67’, ‘P 226’, ‘P 6-4-(3)’, ‘KNE # 392’, and ‘IEL 41’.
• 5 accessions (IE 2911, 2957, 4497, 6337 and 7018) resistant to blast at all 5locations
• IE 4491, SEC 915 and IE 6165 resistant to striga11
Activity 1.3: Evaluation for drought
• 50% reduction in shoot biomass production under drought stress
• IE 2440, 3693, 4115, 5165, 2042, 2312, 3475, 4028, 4121, 4491, 5106 7079 and Seremi 2 – most drought tolerant accessions
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Activity 1.4: Identification of traits-specific parents
• Trait specific accessions identified for different agronomic traits
• Early flowering 51-55 days (range: 51-96 days): 10 accn.• More fingers: 9-9.4 (range: 6.1 to 9.4): 3 accn.• More basal tillers: 6-8.1 (range 3.33 to 8.1): 8 accn.• Long earheads, 150-166 mm (range: 51 to 166 mm): 2
accn.• High grain yield, 2.5-2.711 t ha-1 (range 0.46 to 2.71 t ha-
1): 5 accn.• High in all grain nutrients: 8 accn. – IE 588, 2921, 4443,
4476, 4817, 4708, 4709, and 654613
Activity : Agronomic evaluation/Identifying parents
• High nutrient accessions– IE 4708 (highest Fe – 88.4 mg kg-1)– IE 4476 (highest Ca – 5100 mg kg-1)– IE 4709 (good for all nutrients with multiple disease
resistance)– All three are wild types, very low yield (<0.601 t ha-1)
• IE 6546 – high nutrient values, resistantance to diseses fairly high yields
• IE 6537 – high protein and Ca, moderate disease resistnce, low yield
• IE 2957 – high yield, under drought stress14
Crosses and segregating populations
• 20 new crosses involving 10 elite lines were made and used bulk method to advance generations
• 150 F4 progenies studied for disease epiphytoties• Backcross populations is on-going to incorporate
specific resistance to blast
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Variety Trials
• Elite and advanced lines conducted at Serere, Kumi, Kuju and Aduku field stations.
• Harvesting is in progress but trial performance was good at all locations
• 15 Multilocation trial sites were Serere, Kumi, Kujju, Aduku, Ngora and Kaberamaido
• More on-farm trials comprising 10 finger millet genotypes selected from previous multilocation yield trials were conducted in the districts of Kaberamaido, Lira, Apac and Gulu.
• 10 candidate varieties have been described. 16
Popularization/demonstrations and scaling up
• Multiplication of foundation seed and breeders’ seed on-station and on-farm
• Multiplication of seed was done on-station- varieties PESE 1, SEREMI 2, SX 6, SEC 915 and SEREMI 3 (3000 Kg of each var)• for multiplication under the farmer – to – farmer seed
loan scheme• The loan scheme was aimed at creating awareness• We work in collaboration with an NGO (CLEAR
UGANDA) based in Mbale district concerned about food security and land rights for women
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Popularization cont.
• Demonstrations– set up in Kumi, Kaberamaido, Lira, Apac, Gulu and
Soroti districts during April 2012 for varieties and fertilizer use
– Released and pre-release varieties were included in the demonstration fields
– Five field days were held at the demonstration sites at least in Lira, Gulu and Mbale.
– farmers prefer early maturing varieties with big heads with strong straw
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Sustainable Seed systems development
• Access to good quality seed is an issue for smallholder farmers
• Supply or sell Small seed packets of improved varieties to interested farmers
• Farmer-based seed loan schemes• Links with private seed companies – Pearl
Seeds Ltd, Victoria Seeds and NASECO
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Value addition (millet-based flour)
• Studies on processing and value addition (malting, Weaning foods, milk-based beverages and infant foods) are in progress in collaboration with MUK.
• Malting qualities of all released varieties and pre-release varieties being done in collaboration with MUK, Brewing industry.
• Creating public awareness - FM radio (4 radio talks were made on Open Gate Radio Mbale), participated in Food and Agriculture show in Abi, National Agriculture show in Jinja, food fair in Kampala and print material
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Processing
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Team report
• Public Private Partnership is working well especially in product development.
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Partners/Collaborators• Universities – Warwick, UK; University of Georgia,
USA; Makerere University, Kampala• Government extension services (NAADS)• Private sector companies – e.g. Family Diet, Maganjo
grain Millers for product development• Religious organizations – promotion and mobilization• Farmer groups and associations-primary clients• NGOs – CLEAR Uganda, SAVE the CHILD, AT-UG, • IARCs – ICRISAT for backstopping (germplasm)
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Planned Annual outputs 2012/2013Outputs Activities Budget
High yielding, stable varieties developed
Characterization, evaluation, breeding, selection, Trials, etc
78,000,000
Sustainable integrated crop and soil management options generated
Row planting, fertilizer use, legume integration, etc
64,000,000
Value addition and competiveness of FM enhanced
Product development, Recipes, Malt, food and non-food products
51,000,000
Farmer based seed production and delivery developed
Training, seed packets, seed loans, linkages with seed companies
52,000,000
Dissemination to uptake pathways and end users
Training, foundation seed,Linkages with NAADS/ZARDIs
59,000,000
Total 304,000,000
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Challenges
• Climatic changes – the weather is very unpredictable
• Resistant varieties lodging heavily
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Publications summary
• Manuscripts are under review
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Acknowledgements
• Government of Uganda• NARO• The McKnight Foundation CCRP• Bill and Melinga Gates Foundation (BMGF)• ICRISAT• Farmers, Farmer groups and associations• CLEAR Uganda – Mbale• SAVE the CHILD
Thank you for listening!