Miti ya matunda kwa hifadhi ya mazingira na stahimili ya mabadiliko ya tabia nchi

FRUIT TREES -CLIMATE CHANGE - ADAPTATIONKilimo ni uti wa mgongo wa mkulima vijijini. Kulingana na kukua kwa familia, kupungua kwa rutuba na mabadiliko ya mahitaji ya wakulima vijijini wakulima wameendelea kufungua mashamba mapya ili kuongeza mavuno na kipato. Upanuzi huu wa mashamba mara nyingi huambatana na kukatwa kwa miti au misitu. Hali hii inaleta ukame na ongezeko la joto katika maeneo husika. Ukataji wa miti kwa ajili ya kuongeza ukubwa wa mashamba ya mazao hasa ya chakula yanahusishwa na dalili kubwa za mabadiliko ya tabia nchi. Jitihada nyingi zimefanyika ili kuhamasisha wananchi kuhifadhi mazingira kwa kampeni za kupanda miti na kuhamasisha wananchi kutokata miti bila kupanda mti. Hata hivyo mwongozo huu, mara nyingi hulenga miti ya misitu peke yake. Kitabu hiki kinatoa mwongozo wa mbinu za ustawishaji wa miti ya matunda kama njia nyingine ya kuhifadhi mazingira na kujihami na mabadiliko ya tabia nchi. Kulingana na tafiti zilizofanyika juu ya miti ya misitu, inatarajiwa kwamba miti ya matunda pia itasaidia kupungua hewa ya ukaa, kupunguza ongezeko la joto, na kuboresha mkusanyiko wa mawingu ya mvua, kuimarisha utunzaji wa maji aridhini katika maeneo ya mashambani. Zaidi ya yote, mit ya matunda itasaidia kuongeza uhakika wa chakula na kipato cha kaya vijijini. Kwa kuwa miti ya matunda itakuwa na thamani kubwa kwa familia, hivyo si rahisi kukatwa kwa matumizi mengine (kama vile kuni au mkaa). Hivyo basi elimu ya uzalishaji wa miche na utunzaji mzuri wa bustani za matunda ni muhimu ili kuweka mazingira mazuri ya uoto wa kijani, kuhifadhi ardhi na kujihami na mabadiliko ya tabia nchi. Kitabu hiki kinatoa maelezo ya mbinu bora za uzalishaji wa miche na ustawishaji wa Miparachichi, Miembe, na Michunga. Chimbuko la kazi hii ni moja ya miradi inaloyenga utekelezaji wa shughuli za mpango mpya unaohusu hifadhi ya mazingira na stahimili ya mabadiliko ya tabia nchi (Climate Change Impacts Adaptation and Mitigation - CCIAM)

First report of entomopathogenic nematodes from Tanzania and their virulence against larvae and adults of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

International Journal of Tropical Insect Science Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 154–161, 2011 doi:10.1017/S1742758411000294 @ icipe 2011A survey on the occurrence of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) was conducted in selected banana fields from three regions in Tanzania, namely Mbeya (Southern Highlands), Morogoro (Lowland) and Pwani (Coast). The main objective of this study was to isolate EPNs naturally occurring in banana fields in Tanzania and to test their effect on banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar 1824).We report for the first time the presence of EPNs in Tanzania where four (4.4%) out of 90 samples contained nematodes in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis. EPNs were only isolated in the coastal region in soils with a high sand content. The virulence of nine EPN isolates was tested against larvae and adults of C. sordidus. All isolates caused mortality of the larval stages, whereas the adults appeared resistant to nematode infection. Larval mortality was found to increase significantly with increasing nematode dose. It was also shown that nematodes were able to penetrate and establish in the banana weevil larvae in increasing numbers with increasing nematode dose. The study indicates the potential for including EPNs in management strategies of banana weevil

First report of entomopathogenic nematodes from Tanzania and their virulence against larvae and adults of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

International Journal of Tropical Insect Science Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 154–161, 2011 doi:10.1017/S1742758411000294 @ icipe 2011A survey on the occurrence of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) was conducted in selected banana fields from three regions in Tanzania, namely Mbeya (Southern Highlands), Morogoro (Lowland) and Pwani (Coast). The main objective of this study was to isolate EPNs naturally occurring in banana fields in Tanzania and to test their effect on banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar 1824).We report for the first time the presence of EPNs in Tanzania where four (4.4%) out of 90 samples contained nematodes in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis. EPNs were only isolated in the coastal region in soils with a high sand content. The virulence of nine EPN isolates was tested against larvae and adults of C. sordidus. All isolates caused mortality of the larval stages, whereas the adults appeared resistant to nematode infection. Larval mortality was found to increase significantly with increasing nematode dose. It was also shown that nematodes were able to penetrate and establish in the banana weevil larvae in increasing numbers with increasing nematode dose. The study indicates the potential for including EPNs in management strategies of banana weevil

Entomopathogenic Nematodes Combined with Adjuvants Presents a New Potential Biological Control Method for Managing the Wheat Stem Sawfly, Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)

The wheat stem sawfly, (Cephus cinctus Norton) Hymenoptera: Cephidae, has been a major pest of winter wheat and barley in the northern Great Plains for more than 100 years. The insect's cryptic nature and lack of safe chemical control options make the wheat stem sawfly (WSS) difficult to manage; thus, biological control offers the best hope for sustainable management of WSS. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been used successfully against other above-ground insect pests, and adding adjuvants to sprays containing EPNs has been shown to improve their effectiveness. We tested the hypothesis that adding chemical adjuvants to sprays containing EPNs will increase the ability of EPNs to enter wheat stems and kill diapausing WSS larvae. This is the first study to test the ability of EPNs to infect the WSS, C. cinctus, and test EPNs combined with adjuvants against C. cinctus in both the laboratory and the field. Infection assays showed that three different species of EPNs caused 60-100% mortality to WSS larvae. Adding Penterra, Silwet L-77, Sunspray 11N, or Syl-Tac to solutions containing EPNs resulted in higher WSS mortality than solutions made with water alone. Field tests showed that sprays containing S. feltiae added to 0.1% Penterra increased WSS mortality up to 29.1%. These results indicate a novel control method for WSS, and represent a significant advancement in the biological control of this persistent insect pest