Bol Mou was born to Mr. Mou Bol and Mrs. Nyibol Madut on the 01/01/1986, at Riang-Malual Village of Gogrial District in Southern Sudan. Due to civil wars in the Sudan, Bol only started his primary education late in 1998 at Alek Primary School at the age of 12. He successfully sat for the Sudan Primary Leaving Certificate in 2004. He then proceeded to St. Augustine Senior Secondary School in Khartoum, Sudan in 2005 and obtained his Sudan School Certificate in Biology in 2008. In the following year, 2009, Bol got admitted to the University of Juba in the Department of Agricultural Sciences, College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. Due to Referendum that led to the Independence of South Sudan in 2011, the University was closed for almost 2 years, after which Bol continued to graduate with the B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Agricultural Sciences in 2015. As his love for food security is concerned, Bol worked for Global Agriculture Company as a Chief Agronomist and as a Deputy Farm Manager in Juba and in Torit, South Sudan in 2016-2017. In September, 2017, he was awarded a scholarship by AGRA to pursue an MSc in Crop Protection in the Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection in the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Bol majored in Agricultural Entomology and conducted his research project on, “Efficacy of Seed Dressers and Resistance of Sorghum Varieties in the Management of Fall armyworm”. He plans to pursue his PhD in Agricultural Entomology in the future.
Abstract
Sorghum is a food security crop for millions of people in E. Africa but its production is negatively impacted by fall armyworm damage. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of seed dressers and the resistance of sorghum varieties to manage FAW. The study tested four seed dressers (Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, Lindane and Carbofuran) and screened six sorghum varieties (Wagita, Seredo, Gadam hamam, KARI Mtama 1, Nakhadabo and IESV24029SH) for resistance to FAW. The experiments were carried out at Kiboko and Alupe KALRO/ICRISAT Research Stations in a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement with 3 replications for two seasons of 2018/2019. The data collected included; dead heart symptoms, leaf feeding damage and number of larvae per plant, panicle damage symptoms and grain weight. All seed dressers compared to untreated controls, recorded lower dead heart symptoms, lesser leaf feeding damage and lower number of larvae per plant, lower panicle damage symptoms and higher grain weight. Significant differences (P≤0.05) were observed among sorghum varieties, and Nakhadabo, KARI Mtama 1 and Wagita recorded lower dead heart symptoms, lesser leaf feeding damage and lower number of larvae per plant, lower panicle damage symptoms and higher grain weight. The study has identified Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, Lindane and Carbofuran effective against FAW in sorghum, and may be incorporated prior to planting to protect sorghum seeds from early FAW damage. The study also identified Nakhadabo, KARI Mtama1 and Wagita resistant to FAW damage and can be considered for the management of FAW in sorghum.
Important Links
Research Supervisors
- Prof. Florence Olubayo, University of Nairobi
- Dr. Dora Kilalo, University of Nairobi
- Dr. Eric Manyasa, ICRISAT-Kenya
