Bellancile Uzayisenga is Ph.D. candidate in Plant Pathology at University of Nairobi, Plant Science and Crop Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture. She has M.Sc. in Plant Pathology and Entomology from Wageningen University, The Netherlands in 2009. She graduated in Crop Protection from the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Rwanda. Soon after her graduation, she joined the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (World Agroforestry Centre) - ICRAF Rwanda between 2001 and 2003. Later she joined the Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) in 2004. Currently, Bellancile Uzayisenga is Plant Pathologist Research Fellow who joined Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) in 2011. She has been providing leadership support in plant health research and extension activities. She coordinated Crop Protection Programme between 2012 and 2016. She is Plant Biosecurity Senior Fellow under Africa - Australia Plant Biosecurity Partnerships (2015 and 2016). She is also a member of the Technical Working Group for pesticide efficacy trials in East Africa Community. Bellancile Uzayisenga coordinated several plant health related projects including Plantwise Programme implemented in collaboration between RAB and CABI; Push Pull for Sub Saharan Africa programme which RAB implemented in collaboration with ICIPE and MLN survey and diagnostics in collaboration between RAB and CIMMYT.
Bellancile Uzayisenga received a competitive three years Ph.D. graduate fellowship under Biosciences eastern and central Africa - International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub in June 2018.
Abstract
The genus Brachiaria remains a favourite forage for Sub-Saharan Africa due to different traits. However, diseases were reported as one of the major constraints of Brachiaria production worldwide. The general objective of the study was to increase livestock productivity and improve income of farmers. The study analysed the effect of seasons on distribution, disease incidence and severity of Brachiaria grass diseases. Surveys were conducted in five districts during the dry season and the wet season in 2018 and 2019. Surveys showed that leaf spot, leaf rust and leaf blight diseases were distributed across the country. Furthermore, isolation and confirmation of causative relationship between causal agents and two major diseases were evaluated. Leaf samples with disease symptoms were taken from farmers’ fields. The results confirmed Bipolaris secalis and Phakopsora apoda as causal agents of leaf spot and leaf rust, respectively. Moreover, genome sequencing and genomic characterisation of Bipolaris secalis was performed. Illumina platform produced the estimated genome size of 34,813,291 bp. Finally, field experiments were established to evaluate management options against foliar diseases. One study evaluated the reaction of nine improved cultivars against leaf rust, leaf spot and leaf blight and agronomic performances in two agro-ecological zones. Basilisk, Marandu, MG4 and Xaraes exhibited moderately resistant to resistant response to all three diseases. Moreover, an experiment was established to evaluate different management options for leaf rust. The results showed a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of leaf rust as a result of mancozeb and mineral fertiliser application
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Research Supervisors
- Prof. James W. Muthomi
- Prof. Agnes W. Mwang'ombe
- Dr. Mupenzi Mutimura
4.Dr. Sita Ghimire
