A poster prepared by M. Mulaa, F. Muyekho, C. Lusweti, F. Lusweti and S. Mwendia on stunt disease Management in Kenya

1. Management of Napier Stunting Disease
M.Mulaa, F.Muyekho, C.Lusweti, F.Lusweti and Solomon Mwendia
Napier stunt caused by tiny bacteria (Phytoplasma) can cause serious reduction in yields of Napier if
not managed. Most Napier varieties are susceptible to stunt. Decline in biomass due to stunt disease
will lead to loss of farmer income from sale of milk because shortage of livestock feeds due to the
disease and high costs of managing the disease will double prices of Napier. Farmers will be forced to
sell their diary cows or graze their dairy cattle on sparse communal pastures along the road side thus
exposing their livestock to the risk of contracting East Coast Fever which will in turn increase the costs
of livestock production because the farmers will have to treat their livestock.
Symptoms of Napier stunting disease Management of stunting disease
•Use clean planting materials from disease free
areas and plant at a spacing of 1meter x 1
meter, using TSP or DAP fertilizer at a rate 50
kg/acre.
•Inspect the crop regularly, remove the
diseased Napier grass stools and burn all the
uprooted diseased materials and replace them
with clean planting materials.
Yellowing tiny leaves, stunting & Death of plants
Spread of the disease •Improve the health of the Napier grass by
applying manure or top dress with CAN
The stunting disease is spread by planting diseased
50kg/acre.
stems or root splits and movement of planting
materials from diseased regions. The bacteria do not
•A void harvesting same area frequently.
live in the soil; they live in grass and in small insects
Harvest at intervals of 8 weeks, leaving a
(leafhoppers and plant hoppers) which also transmit
stubble height of 10 cm above ground level for
the disease as they feed on the diseased plants and
faster re-growth of plants.
move to clean plants.
•If the area is seriously affected use alternative
fodders such as Giant Panicum, Guatemala
grass and fodder sorghum because most Napier
varieties are susceptible to stunt.
•Sensitize neighbors about transmission
mechanism and management of the disease
Plant hoppers (Cicadelidae) Leaf Hoppers Delphacidae)