This document summarizes a presentation on narrowing crop yield gaps through better agronomy and plant health management. It discusses the strategic objectives and priority research areas of IITA's Plant Production and Health Management strategic plan, including innovative crop management options, environmentally friendly pest management, knowledge sharing, and partnership development. Specific examples provided include integrated Striga management in maize through resistant varieties, intercropping, herbicides, and biocontrol, as well as weed management in cassava through herbicide use. The presentation also covers aflatoxin mitigation and emerging challenges such as pesticide resistance, new diseases, and invasive species.

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Narrowing the Crop Yield Gap through Better
Agronomy & Plant Health Management
David Chikoye
23rd November 2015
(R4D Week 2015)

2. www.iita.orgA member of the CGIAR consortium
Narrowing the Crop Yield Gap through
Better Agronomy & Plant Health
Management
R4D Week
23 November 2015
Ibadan, Nigeria
Plant Production & Health Management
Strategic Plan 2012-2020

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 Overview of PPHM strategy
• Review strategic Objectives
• Priority Research Areas
• Highlights of selected activities
• Emerging challenges
 Five thematic presentations
 Question & answer
 Poster session
Program outline

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 SO1: Innovative crop management options
 SO2: Environmentally friendly pest management
options
 SO3: Technology, knowledge and information
sharing
 S04: Partnerships and capacity development
Strategic Objectives

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Priority research areas
 Assess crop yield gap due to multiple stresses
 Crop models and decision support systems
 Physiological basis for crop adaptation to
stressful conditions
 Knowledge based weed management practices
 Water & nutrient management options
SO1: Crop Management Options

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Priority research areas
 Pest risk assessment & phenology models
 Diagnosis & surveillance of emerging pests and
diseases
 Management options for insect pests and
diseases
 Innovative methods for production of bio-
pesticides
SO2: Pest Management Options

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 Integrated Striga management in maize
 Weed management in cassava systems
 Aflatoxin mitigation in maize and groundnuts
 Emerging challenges
Examples of progress to date

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• Current maize yield (< 1.5t/ha)
• Current cowpea yield (< 0.5t/ha)
 Striga is a parasitic weed -
maize, sorghum, millet and
cowpea
 S. hermonthica - infested
2.4 to 4 million ha of land in
SSA under maize
 Yield losses valued at US$
383 million to US$ 1 billion
Integrated Striga management

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Available Striga control technologies
 Striga resistant/tolerant varieties (maize/cowpeas)
 Cereal – legume rotation/intercrops
 Herbicide resistant (IR) maize//seed coating
 Biological control options
Integrated Striga management

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Grain yield and Striga count of maize varieties following soybean (rotation) on
farmers’ field with & without nitrogen in Kano, 2013
Treatment
Year 1
Maize variety
Year 2
Maize grain yield
(kg/ha)
Striga stand
(#/ha)
Without N With N Without N With N
Maize Maize (FC)
209 2031 18563 2237
Soybean 2009 TZEE W
800 3333 16000 1045
Soybean 2009 EVDT STR W
975 3426 8107 1629
Soybean DT STR SYN2 W
1400 3386 800 495
Soybean IWD C2 SYN
1533 3767 4000 1229
Mean 1031 3240 7639 1243
SED 232*** 293*** 3807ns 430***
Integrated Striga management

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Performance of selected hybrids under artificial Striga infestation with and
without herbicide treatment at two locations in 2014.
Increase Increase
Striga
damage
Hybrids
With
treatment
Without
treatment (%)
With
treatment
Without
treatment (%)
(1-9)
AS1412-16 4018 3413 18 5 9 -39 4
AS1412-14 3895 3223 21 5 17 -70 5
AS1412-6 3814 3210 19 7 12 -38 4
AS1412-12 3765 3277 15 1 5 -73 4
AS1412-24 3529 3052 16 2 15 -87 5
9022-13 (Tolerant) 0 2290 -100 0 68 -100 7
8338-1 (Susceptible) 0 704 -100 0 90 -100 8
Oba Super-1 (Commer.) 0 2116 -100 0 61 -100 8
Mean 2374 2809 4 26 6
LSD 1181 1152 9 32 2
CV 23 25 60 56 16
Grain yield infested
(kg/ha) Emerged Striga count
Integrated Striga management

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Biocontrol of Striga
 Bioagent: F. oxysporum f.sp.
strigae
 Formulation: Foxy2 (West
Africa) or FK3 (Kenya)
 Attacks Striga at all its growth
stages
 Attacks only Striga
 56 on farm trials in Kano and
Bauchi (2014)
 Striga tolerant & susceptible
maize varieties
Integrated Striga management
Seed coating machine used (back view) Seed coating machine used (front view)
Maize seeds in the of the coating machine before coating Maize seeds in the of the coating machine during coating

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Diseased emerged Striga plants
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Resistant Susceptible
DiseasedStrigaplants(%)
Farmer's choice Biocontrol
b
LSD (0.05) = 5.4 (***) LSD (0.05) = 8.1 (***)
a
b
a
Tolerant
Diseased Striga plants
Susceptible
Integrated Striga management

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Striga damage symptoms on maize plants
Striga damage rating on a scale of 1-9, where 1 = no damage symptoms and 9 = severe damage
symptoms due to Striga (Berner et al., 1997)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Resistant Susceptible
Strigadamagerating Farmer's choice Biocontrol
a
b
a
b
LSD (0.05) = 0.3 (***) LSD (0.05) = 0.36 (***)
SusceptibleTolerant
Integrated Striga management

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BC efficacy under SS AEZ on farm
(26 locations, 15 with resistant, 11 with susceptible)
95TZE COMP4 C3 F2TZE Comp.5-W C7
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
Resistant Susceptible
Maizegraimyield(kgha-1)
Farmer's choice Biocontrol
b
LSD (0.05) = 245 (***) a
a
LSD (0.05) = 282 (***)
b
Tolerant Susceptible
Integrated Striga management
Maize grain yield (kg ha-1)

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Farmer controlBC + tolerant variety
On-farm Biocontrol Technology farmer
evaluation trial in Bauchi

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Hand weeding using simple implements (4, 8 & 12
wap)
250-500 man hours/ha
High crop losses due to delayed weeding
Need to modernize weeding practices!!!
Weed management in cassava systems

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18
Weed control efficacy of PRE+ POST- emergence herbicides in cassava at 10 WAP
Ibadan Abeokuta Makurdi
Herbicides _________________(%)_______________
1 Cobra + Select Max 97.9 82.3 80.9
2 Envoke 97.3 82.9 86.5
3 Maister Power 97.9 84.3 84.3
4 Maister WG 97.3 82.3 82.0
5 Pre emergence only 80.1 70.3 76.8
6 Hoe weeded 84.1 77.5 79.1
Weed management in cassava systems

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 Herbicide residual analysis in tubers and leaves
 Environmental fate of promising herbicides
 Integration of best agronomic with chemical control
 Training on herbicide application technology and safe use
Weed Management in Cassava Systems
Future activities

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Aflatoxin mitigation in Africa
Strain
development in
progress
Products under
testing in
farmers’ fields
Product ready
for registration
Product
registered
Senegal
Burkina
Faso
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Tanzania
Mozambique
Zambia
Rwan
da
Malawi
Burundi
Ugan
da
The
Gambia
 Aflatoxin-toxic metabolite
produced by Aspergillus flavus
fungus
 Maize & groundnut most prone
 Human health: liver cancer,
immune-suppression, stunted
growth, death
 Negatively impacts trade

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Farmers treating maize and groundnut fields with Aflasafe
Aflatoxin reduction in corn
Harvest 2009-2015 (5 countries) 83%
Storage 2009-2011 (3 countries) 87%
Carry-over 2009-2011 (1 country) 79%
Aflatoxin reduction in groundnuts
Harvest 2009-2015 (5 countries) 92%
Storage 2009-2011 (2 countries) 86%

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Emerging pests
 Pesticide resistance in Maruca
 Alectra in soybeans
 Maize lethal necrosis disease
 Banana fungal wilt (TR4)
 Yam tuber beetles
 Spittle bugs on maize
 Papaya mearlybug (cassava)
New challenges

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 New emerging & invasive species: we are alert and ready !
 Continue addressing the old problems (striga, weeds…)
 Strategic implementation workshop (Jan-March 2016)
New challenges

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 Physiology (Canon)
 Simulation modeling (Kamara)
 CBSD (Legg)
 MLN (Kumar)
 Crop/livestock integration (Larbi)
Next Presentations