AbstractsThe parasitic weed Striga hermonthica Benth. (Orobanchaceae), commonly known as striga, is an increasingly important constraint to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), often resulting in total yield losses in maize (Zea mays L.) and substantial losses in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). This is further aggravated by soil degradation and drought conditions that are gradually becoming widespread in SSA. Forage legumes in the genus Desmodium (Fabaceae), mainly D. uncinatum and D. intortum, effectively control striga and improve crop productivity in SSA. However, negative effects of climate change such as drought stress is affecting the functioning of these systems. There is thus a need to identify and characterize new plants possessing the required ecological chemistry to protect crops against the biotic stress of striga under such environmental conditions. 17 accessions comprising 10 species of Desmodium were screened for their drought stress tolerance and ability to suppress striga. Desmodium incanum and D. ramosissimum were selected as the most promising species as they retained their leaves and maintained leaf function for longer periods during their exposure to drought stress conditions. They also had desirable phenotypes with more above ground biomass. The two species suppressed striga infestation, both under controlled and field conditions, and resulted in significant grain yield increases, demonstrating the incremental capability of Desmodium species in striga suppression. These results demonstrate beneficial effects of Desmodium species in enhancing cereal productivity in dry areas.

Common bean rust disease (caused by Uromyces appendiculatus) and high temperatures (heat stress) limit snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production in many tropical and temperate regions. We have developed snap bean lines combining broad-spectrum rust resistance with heat tolerance for tropical agroecosystems. Eight breeding populations were developed by hybridizing BelJersey-RR-15 and BelFla-RR-1 (each possessing the Ur-4 and Ur-11 rust resistance genes) and the heat-tolerant snap bean breeding lines HT601, HT603, HT608, and HT611. F2–F4 generations of the populations were evaluated under greenhouse conditions and selected for heat tolerance while simultaneously selecting for the rust resistance genes Ur-4 and Ur-11. Three heat-tolerant F5 lines, which were homozygous for Ur-4 and Ur-11 genes, were selected together with a rust-resistant but heat-sensitive control. These and 12 cultivars adapted to different geographical regions were evaluated for their reaction to rust and yield at six contrasting field sites in eastern Africa and their response to high temperature verified in Puerto Rico. Rust incidence and severity was high at three of the trial sites in eastern Africa. Two of the 12 cultivars were resistant to rust at most of these sites, and three of the four breeding lines were resistant at all sites. The Ur-11 gene effectively conferred rust resistance at all sites. Yield in Puerto Rico was strongly correlated (R2 = 0.71, P < 0.001) with that of the hottest site in eastern Africa, highlighting the similarity in genotypic response to high temperatures at the two distinct sites. The newly developed rust-resistant and heat-tolerant breeding lines showed stable yield at the eastern Africa sites with contrasting mean temperatures compared with the cultivars presently grown in the region. Two of these lines, HT1 and HT2, were confirmed to be homozygous for Ur-4 and Ur-11 and with high heat tolerance under both greenhouse and field environments. This research validates the effectiveness of targeted rust resistance gene combinations for tropical environments and the effective selection of high temperature tolerance traits correlating across multiple environments. The breeding lines HT1 and HT2 developed in this research could be used to improve snap beans for the tropics and other environments with similar constraints.

Sweetpotato is an important crop in many parts of the world especially in developing countries. It is used for both human consumption as well as livestock feed. It is an important source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, fibre, iron, potassium, protein and &beta;-carotene. Its production is, however, constrained by several biotic and abiotic factors, including pests and diseases, low soil fertility, drought, cold and salinity. Breeding is one of the ways to overcome some of these constraints and in sweetpotato the polycross or controlled cross methods can be used. To determine which of the two methods was more efficient, genotypes generated by both methods were evaluated over two seasons at Namulonge and Kachwekano. The type of cross (polycross or controlled) was significantly (P &le; 0.05) different for storage root yield, response to sweetpotato virus disease, Alternaria blight, and harvest index (HI). The controlled cross families had a significantly higher mean HI of 43.2% than the polycross families with a mean HI of 31.8%. Therefore, controlled crosses could be deployed to systematically increase the HI in sweetpotato breeding populations. Significant (P &le; 0.05) differences were observed among families for all traits. This stresses that the parents used in a cross are very important in generating genotypes with desired attributes. It was apparent that both the polycross and controlled crosses are good methods for generating new sweetpotato genotypes in a sweetpotato breeding program. Where aggregate performance was considered (selection index) the controlled crosses method produced more (75% of the top 20 desirable genotypes) than the polycross method across the two sites. However, the best three genotypes over the two sites were from the polycross family of Ejumula. Therefore, sweetpotato controlled crosses could be very useful for population improvement using recurrent selection while polycrosses could be suitable for variety development. Both hybridization methods require cautious selection of parents to match the breeding objectives.

Small-sieve snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are an important source of income for smallholder farmers in East Africa. In this region as well as in other tropical and subtropical environments, common bean rust, caused by Uromyces appendiculatus (Pers.:Pers.), and heat stress reduce the yield and quality of snap beans. Small-sieve rust-resistant snap beans and that are heat-tolerant were developed using heat-tolerant snap bean breeding lines that had broad-spectrum rust resistance conditioned by the combination of the Andean Ur-4 and Mesoamerican Ur-11 genes. The Ur-4 and Ur-11 rust gene combination confers resistance to 90 races of the hypervariable pathogen from different parts of the world, including East Africa, that are maintained at Beltsville, MD. Four breeding lines each having the combination of the two rust genes were crossed in a 4 × 5 diallel mating design with five susceptible small-sieve cultivars to give 20 F1 hybrids. The hybrid combinations were advanced through the F2, F3, and F4 generations with selection for heat tolerance, rust resistance, and pod quality to develop lines combining these traits. Twenty F5 breeding lines that had the combination of these traits were selected and evaluated in East Africa at four field sites selected on the basis of differences in altitude, climate, and virulence diversity of the bean rust pathogen and in Puerto Rico at a field site characterized by high temperatures. There was a significant positive correlation between ranks of heat stress influenced yield components (seeds per pod and total yield) at the hot field site and the controlled high-temperature (32/27 °C) greenhouse. Four of the breeding lines developed, L5, L9, L13, and L17, combined heat tolerance and rust resistance in the desired plant type with high yield and good pod quality. These lines are the first known small-sieve snap beans with the combination of traits for heat tolerance and broad-spectrum rust resistance conferred by the Ur-4 and Ur-11 genes. These results demonstrate ability to combine heat tolerance and rust resistance as important traits for adaptation of specific market classes of common bean to tropical and subtropical environments through targeted selection of multiple traits in controlled environments.