Kenneth Monjero is a biotechnologist at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization with vast experience in plant diseases and their management. He has researched on plant viruses and nematodes of root and tuber crops, maize and beans. He is currently working on technology transfer across crop production and biochar to combat climate change and soils amendments in western Kenya. Mr. Monjero is the founder and President of Fun & Education Global Network, also the pioneer and the lead person of the first Children Science Centre Kenya based within KALRO, which empowers young people on STEM through hands on and minds on exploration. After spending 10 years in research under KALRO, Monjero changed his career to science communication. He has been featured greatly on Kenyan media and internationally across the glove which lead to the start of KALRO Children Science Centre Kenya. Monjero attained various academic trainings locally; Kenya Methodist University, University of Nairobi, and international Universities; Stellenbosch University, Cornell University, North West University and Australia National University. Monjero is making great advance in public engagement with science.
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important food crop globally, after rice and wheat. The outbreak of the Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease in the Eastern Africa region has threatened production of the crop. Information on interactions of viruses causing MLN with plant parasitic nematodes is lacking. This study was carried out to determine i) the effect interaction of plant parasitic nematodes with viruses causing MLN on disease development in maize fields and ii) the effect of lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) on disease development in the greenhouse. For the field study, four counties in Kenya were visited, farms selected at random, MLN scored and both maize leaf and soil samples collected and analyzed for presence of viruses causing MLN and for parasitic nematodes. Variance analysis was used to measure significant differences (P< 0.05) in MLN disease incidence and severity due to interaction between viruses and nematode populations. In the greenhouse study, two maize varieties (H614D susceptible to both MLN and Pratylenchus spp. nematodes and Emph 1101 susceptible to MLN but resistant to Pratylenchus nematodes) were used. The two varieties were subjected to single inoculation with MCMV and SCMV; combined MCMV + SCMV inoculation, and a combination of viruses and Pratylenchus nematodes. Disease severity and incidence were recorded weekly over a period of two months. Survey results indicated no significant effect of combined infestation of parasitic nematodes (Pratylenchus spp., Tylenchus spp., Meloidogyne spp. and Helicotylenchus spp.,) on MLN disease severity in the field. However, there was significant effect of Pratylenchus to MLN severity in the greenhouse. In the greenhouse, MLN disease severity was higher in H614D than in Emph 1101. Plants inoculated with MLN+Pratylenchus recorded a significant difference across the two varieties on area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). There is need for nematodes management even though the field experiment indicated no significant effect of parasitic nematodes on MLN disease development. There is also need for an open field study to evaluate the effect of Pratylenchus spp. on the development of MLN disease.
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Research Supervisors
Prof. Douglas W. Miano and Prof. John W. Kimenju
