Preliminary Participatory On-farm Sorghum Variety Selection for Tolerance to drought, Soil Acidity and

Striga in Western Kenya

. S. Gudu, E.O. Ouma, A.O. Onkware, E.J. Too, B.A. Were, J.O. Ochuodho, C.O. Othieno, J.R.

Okalebo, J. Agalo and S.M. Maina

Moi University, Kenya

First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

INTRODUCTION

• Sorghum is a major food and nutritional security crop to > 100 million people in Eastern horn of Africa, owing to its resilience to drought & other production constrains.

• It is a multipurpose crop used as food, feed & beer manufacture & ethanol production.

• We need a sorghum revolution to minimize its production challenges, improve its productivity in order to enjoy its role as food security crop.

Sorghum Production Constraints & Yield Loss in East & Central Africa

Wortman et al. (2009)

Some Sorghum production Challenges in western Kenya

Aluminium toxicity Soil Acidity & sorghum ecology Phosphorous deficiency

Sorghum Anthracnose problem Striga problem in sorghum

Sorghum Ecology and Economy in Western Kenya

• Acid soils (pH <5.5); high (Al) (4-67 % saturation).

• Low available Phosphorous (P) (3-5mgP/kg Soil).

• Frequent pre- and post-flowering droughts.

• Low nitrogen, stimulates Striga infestation.

• Grown by small scale farmers without inputs.

• Only 17 % of sorghum farmers are aware of soil acidity problem

• > 90 % of farmers use own-seed or neighbor's

• Yield are very low (05 t/ha)and farm sizes small (0.5 – 2.5 acres/family).

OBJECTIVES

• To use participatory variety selection to evaluate and promote adoption of sorghum genotypes for drought, soil acidity and disease tolerance.

• Develop and promote best management strategies for sorghum anthracnose

• Undertake marketing and value chain analyses of sorghum in eastern Africa.

outputs

• Output 1. Drought tolerant stay-green and other novel early maturing sorghum genotypes evaluated on-farm.

• Output 4. Environmentally friendly and sustainable sorghum anthracnose management options developed.

• Output 5. Data and knowledge to strengthen and expand market opportunities and value chains of sorghum in Kenya generated and promoted.

Breeding Methodology

1. Introductions of diverse germplasm with various traits

Brazil, Icrisat (India, Kenya), Tanzania, Kenya & Uganda

2. Crosses in all possible combinations to develop multiple stress tolerance

P X Al; Drought X Al; Drought X P; etc.

3. Selections under severe stress (Striga, Drought, Al & P)

In Western Kenya which produces over 70 % of sorghum in the country

4. Stable potential cultivars tolerant to more than one stress were obtained

126 lines were obtained and tested on-farm in several sites in Kenya. In cycle 2 of participatory selection, 36 were retained and in cycle 3 of selection, now we have only 14 lines undergoing further selection in western Kenya.

Breeding/Selection Phase

FIG 4. GRAIN YIELD AT NO PHOSPHORUS APPLICATION

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

N14

0 d

Q2

M32

bC26

S21

S58

P3

rep

S14

S13

N14

0

N47

M44 E

12

F14 a R

9

N15

7 b

N11

3C5

T57

N15

7 a

N53

N21

S23

T106

N72

M46

R10

S17

ACCESSION

GR

AIN

YIE

LD

(g

)

MEAN

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

P5 C1 C19 C26 A4 M45 N24b A3 G2 M44 N120 N88

Sorghum Lines

Net

roo

t le

ng

th (

cm

)

NRL0

NRL148

Characteristics of some of the elite lines developed

OUR SORGHUM EXPERIMENTAL SITES IN WESTERN KENYA

Site Description

The evaluation was conducted in Sega (00 15’ 21”N & 340 13’ 33”E)

and Matayos (0o 19’N & 34o 12’E) sites in the year 2011 and 2012.

For drought, the materials werer tested at Karung, a semi-arid land

The soils at the two sites have low pH (<5.5 ) and are acidic (high Al

saturation and low available P) (Kisinyo et al., 2012).

pH

P

(mg/k

g)

%

N

%

C

cmo/kg

%

Al

%

Sa

nd

%

Cla

y

%

Si

lt

Textu

ral

Class

Rainf

all

(mm)

MeanTe

mp.

(oC) K Ca

M

g Al

ECE

C

Mata

yos

1400 22

4.9 5

0.1

3

3.5

1

0.0

6

1.9

3

1.7

6

1.5

3 5.28 29 18 66 16 Clay

Sega

1000 24

4.5 3

0.1

3

2.6

9

0.0

4

2.8

1

1.7

2

1.9

7 6.54 30 28 56 16 Clay

Table 1: Site agro ecology, soil chemical and physical characteristic

Experimental Design For the on-farm trial at Sega 13 lines and check

variety(seredo) were laid out in RCBD replicated 2 times and

tested across 3 farmers’ fields, with 0, 4 t lime/ha. While at

Matayos 15 lines were laid out in a split plot design, RCBD

replicated 2 times and tested across 2 farmers’ fields.

Planting at both sites was done at a spacing of 0.75 X 0.2 m

in plots of 3 m x 3 m. DAP fertilizer was uniformly applied to

the plots(26kg P/ha) and Top dressing done 6 weeks after

planting using CAN (75 kg N ha-1.)

Weeding was done manually thrice and the crop protected

from shoot fly damage using Beta-cyhalothrin (Bulldock GR

0.05) at a rate of 6 Kg ha-1.

Data was collected on plant height, panicle length, panicle

width, days to 50% flowering and grain yield.

Data was scored using the 2 middle rows, leaving out the

two outer rows and also leaving out one plants from each

extreme ends of the 2 middle rows.

• At crop maturity, over 50 sorghum farmers from Sega and

67 farmers at Matayos sites were invited for a field days

at the two sites to select their preferred lines based on

performance of the respective lines according to

procedures of Asby et al. (2009).

• Selection criteria was explained to the farmers &

questionnaires administered. Farmers were to: (i) rank the

various lines based on grain colour, plant height, grain

yield, panicle size, grain size, and early maturity,

tolerance to soil acidity and resistance to birds’ damage.

The researchers were keen to know whether there is

variation in preference of the various sorghum lines

among farmers from the two sites.

.

Participatory variety selection

RESULTS

Fig 8: Some of the Sorghum farmers selecting preferred varieties at Sega site during a field day.

Fig 8: Some of the Sorghum farmers selecting preferred varieties at Matayos site during a field day.

Promotion of drought , striga and soil acidity tolerance sorghum in

western Kenya

DATA ANALYSIS

Data was Analyses using Excel and Genstat

Grain yield and yield components data were subjected to

2-way analysis of variance by fitting the following model for

RCBD or according to the experimental design used (Split

plot and split-split plot arrangements):

Xijk = µ +αi +βj +Ʃij

where: Xijk----- plot observation,

µ-- overall mean;

αi----treatment effect;

βj----block effect;

Ʃij---experimental error due to treatments and blocks

(Kearsey and Pooni, 1996).

In the 2012 on-farm evaluations the Fourteen selected

lines varied significantly in performance across the 3

farms at Sega site.

Overally Nyadundo 1 gave the highest grain weight

while N57 the lowest.

Seven lines (Nyadundo 1, T 30b, C26, E97, E54,E16

and E12) outperformed seredo

Farm 3 had the highest mean grain weight (1.2 kg/plot)

followed by farm 2 (1.02 kg/plot)

RESULTS CONT….

Means of grain weight of selected advanced sorghum lines tested for tolerance to soil

acidity across 3 farms at Sega in 2012.

Performance of selected sorghum lines tested for tolerance soil acidity across 3 farms at Sega

in 2012, without lime application.

VARIETY G.yld P.H P.L P.W 50% F. Sd.clr P.SHAPE

t/ha (cm) (cm) (cm) days

MCSRV Nyadundo 1 2.233a 151.4ab 18.07bc 3.93a 67b Red 4E

MCSRV N4 1.953ab 166.1ab 14.16c 3.22a 77a Red 4E

MCSRV E94 1.833ab 181.1a 19.27bc 3.9a 70b L.Brown 4E

MCSRV F14a 1.373ab 135.8ab 20.23a-c 3.83a 69b Brown 4E

MCSRV E36-1 1.1ab 146.5ab 21.2ab 3.3a 69b White 4E

MCSRV wagita 0.86ab 156.8ab 18bc 3.17a 70a Red 4E

Serena 0.833ab 146.2ab 19.97a-c 3.2a 66b L.Brown 4E

MCSRV G2 0.267b 165.7ab 26.6a 2.93a 69b White 4E

D1 0.25b 128.6c 23.5ab 2.63b 68b Brown 4E

MCSRV Nyadundo 2 2.02a 136.6a 18.1bcd 5.133a 67c Red 4E

Serena 1.75a 136.8a 18.73bc 4.933a 69bc L.Brown 4E

MCSRV E49 1.7a 127.6a 16.43cde 4.3a 76a L.Brown 4E

MCSRV C26 1.65a 139.8a 14.9de 5.633a 76a L.Brown 4E

MCSRV A3 1.58ab 141a 13.8e 3.05a 74a White 6

MCSRV C1 1.58ab 116.8a 26.47a 4.133a 65c White 4E

MCSRV MR732 1.58ab 118.8a 21.13b 4.7a 76a White 4E

MCSRV T30 1.55ab 83.8b 14.2e 5.33a 74a L.Brown 5

MCSRV E40 0.817b 135.3a 18.9bc 5.2a 72ab Cream 4E

G.Mean 1.385 139.6 19.09 4.045 71

CV % 24 14.9 6.7 18.8 2.2

SED 0.309 15.35 0.983 0.722 1.275

Table 1: Agronomic performance (plant height, days to 50% flowering and grain yield of advanced sorghum lines evaluated under drought conditions in Karungu.

Factors Grain Yield Grain Color Grain Size Panicle Size Height of Plant Tolerance to soil

acidity

Early Maturity Resistance to

bird damage

Response

Yes 87 98 87 86 92 62 80 44

No 14 3 14 15 9 39 21 57

Percentage of farmers gauging the

characteristic as influential 86.1% 97.0% 86.1% 85.1% 91.1% 61.3 79.2% 43.6%

Factors influencing farmer’s preference of sorghum lines in western Kenya

Farmers Selection of varieties

Comparison of percentage of farmers by region who scored the

major factors as very highly influential

Factors Grain Color Height of Plant Grain Yield Grain

Size

Site

Sega 65 59 94 88

Koyonzo 80.8 72 90.6 89

Matayos 85.7 85.7 93 82

Concerning preference of various sorghum lines, 6 lines (T53b, C26, Nyadundo

1, Nyadundo 2, N13 and N4) out of fourteen were selected by farmers from the

3 sites.

The most preferred sorghum line in terms of grain colour was Nyadundo 1(Red)

followed by Nyadundo 2 (Light Red) while the least preferred based on colour

was C26 (Light brown).

Most farmers from Matayos site (85.7%, 85.7%) and Koyonzo sites ( 80.8%, 72%)

indicated that grain colour and plant height respectively would highly influence

their selection compared to those from Sega (65.2%, 59%) who also shared the

same belief .

Factors Grain

Color

Height

of Plant

Grain

Size

Grain Yield No. of

farmers

Sorghum

line

T53b 4 2 6 4 16

C26 3 3 3 3 12

Nyadundo 1 22 18 18 22 80

Nyadundo 2 19 18 23 19 79

N13 7 5 6 7 25

N4 10 11 11 10 42

No. of farmers 65 57 67 65

Table 3: Variety preference matrix based on farmers choice

For selection based on plant height, Nyadundo 1 and 2 had similar

preference followed by N4, C26 while T53b had the least preference

implying that farmers in western Kenya prefer short to medium height

sorghum lines (Table 5)

From this study, it was evident that farmers from all the 3 sites in western

Kenya preferred similar sorghum lines so long as they are Red to light

brown in colour, and short to medium in height

CONCLUSIONS

We have not finalized analyzing the short rains results from

all sites, harvesting is going on other sites

Majority of the sorghum varieties tested for soil acidity,

drought and striga tolerance outperformed the local checks

used by farmers in these regions.

Most farmers in western Kenya were unaware of the

negative effects of soil acidity ( low P and high Al ) on

sorghum grain yield

Farmers choice of varieties was influenced mainly by yield,

seed colour and plant height.

The new cultivars could increase sorghum productivity in

western Kenya

Acknowledgement

• BIO-INNOVATE AND McKNIGHT FOUNDATION FOR FUNDING THE PROJECT.