Georgina Mulwa is a Crop Protection researcher specializing in sustainable food production through research on pest and disease management. She has a Bachelors in Agriculture and Human Ecology from Egerton University and recently completed her Masters in Crop Protection from the University of Nairobi, where she was awarded the third-best student in research and publication, as well as the best student in innovation and entrepreneurship. She has also done a publication with Journal of Economic Entomology with a focus on green gram tolerance to field pest infestation as well as management of pests through use of crude plant extracts. Georgina's primary focus is on developing strategies for sustainable pest and disease management, aiming to minimize reliance on harmful chemicals and promote environmentally friendly practices.
Abstract
Breeding has significantly improved drought tolerance in green gram. Important pests of green gram are pod borers, aphids and whiteflies. Field experiments were conducted in southeastern Kenya to evaluate a collection of old and new green gram varieties for tolerance to field pests, and to identify traits that confer resistance. The old varieties were KS20 and N26, both released in 1990s whereas the modern counterparts were Biashara, Karembo and Ndengu-Tosha. Results showed significant differences among the varieties in maturity, leaf area, leaf hair density, leaf moisture content and pod wall thickness. Earliness significantly reduced pest infestation, whereby KS20 matured early while N26 was late, and the new varieties were intermediate. On average, across the three environments, leaf area and leaf moisture content positively correlated with pest infestation while leaf hair density and pod wall thickness showed a negative association with pod borer and aphid counts. Green gram field pest management practices could select for varieties with early maturity, open plant canopy and thicker pod walls. Four plant extracts, including neem, melia, tick berry and garlic in the management of green gram field pests. Neem and garlic extracts effectively controlled target pests, that was comparable to the synthetic pesticide yield. Significantly, the plant extracts had lower negative impact on the beneficial organisms thus supporting the ecosystem while managing the pests. Results implied that integrated pest management practices could deploy varietal morphological traits that impair pest infestation as well the incorporation of crude plant extracts
Important Links
https://academic.oup.com/jee/article/116/2/462/6992873
Research Supervisors
Dr. Onesmus Kitonyo Prof. John Nderitu
