Phytosanitary and Regulatory Perspective on MLND in Kenya, presented at the International Conference on “MLN Diagnostics and Management in Africa,” organized by AGRA (Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa) and CIMMYT, 12-14 May, 2015

1. Phytosanitary and Regulatory
Perspective on MLND in Kenya
George Ngundo
Plant Quarantine and Biosecurity Station
Website: www.kephis.org
1

2. Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service
(KEPHIS )
A state corporation in the ministry of Agriculture
mandated to offer regulatory services in the
agricultural sector.
VISION:
The Lead Regulator And Facilitator Of Globally
Competitive Agriculture
MISSION:
To Provide A Science-Based Regulatory Service By
Assuring Quality Of Agricultural Inputs And
Produce To Promote Food Security And
Sustainable Development
2

3. Legal Framework
Agriculture Act, Cap 318
Agricultural Produce (Export) Act,
Cap 319
Agricultural Produce Marketing Act,
Cap 320
Plant Protection Act, Cap 324
The Suppression of Noxious Weeds
Act, Cap 325
3

4. Legal Framework Cont.
The Seeds and Plant varieties Act, Cap
326
The Fertilizers and Animal Foodstuffs
Act, Cap 345
The Pest Control Products Act, Cap 346
Biosafety Act, 2009
Supported by a number of International
Instruments such UPOV Convention,
OECD seed scheme etc
4

5. KEPHIS Activities in relation to MLND
Disease surveillance
Laboratory diagnostics of MLN
- For local and imported/local seed as well
as post control testing of maize seed
- Has laboratory capacity to test MLN
viruses
Centralized regulation of maize seed
imports
Seed Certification process
Training and sensitization of stakeholders
5

6. MLN Disease Surveillance
KEPHIS has been involved in the collaborative
field surveys
Surveillance by inspectors from the Plant
Quarantine and Biosecurity Station (PQBS)
MLN Surveillance coordinated by KEPHIS
Pest Risk Analysis Team (KEPHIS-HQ)
Surveillance by KEPHIS Inspectors in other
regional offices
Surveillance Samples analyzed at KEPHIS
Plant Quarantine molecular laboratory for
MCMV & SCMV
6

7. Laboratory Diagnostics on MLND
Capacity Building on MLND diagnostics done at
FERA-UK; January 2013.
Focused on Real-Time PCR assays for seed
testing
Conventional PCR protocols for MCMV and
SCMV also optimized.
A seed testing protocol developed and adopted
Currently involved in routine testing of MCMV
and SCMV for advisory services and seed
certification (local and imported seeds)
7

8. Laboratory diagnostics
8
Diagnostics for
MLND done
in the Molecular lab

9. Centralized regulation of maize seed/grain
imports
Also imports of maize grain has been
centralized
All Requests to import maize seed are
controlled at KEPHIS-HQ Karen.
Maize seed importers required to send a
representative sample to KEPHIS for MLND
virus Screening prior to importation.
9

10. Seed import/export Regulation
Only registered seed merchants are
allowed to import/export seed
An SR14 (notice to import / export)
form is filled to notify KEPHIS of the
intention to import or export seed.
A Plant Import Permit is issued for the
importation.
Seed can also be imported by
researchers for experimental purposes
10

11. Seed Companies Dealing In Maize Seed
Currently there are 19 seed companies dealing in
maize seed in Kenya. These are
1. Kenya seed co,
2. Pannar seed ,
3. Agriseed co,
4. Western seed co,
5. Freshco,
6. East African seed co,
7. Dryland seed co,
8. Pioneer Hibred,
9. KARI seed unit,
10. Olerai ltd ,
11. Elgon kenya Ltd,
12. Monsanto,
13. Migotiyo plantations,
14. Faida seeds,
15. Pollen Ltd,
16. One Acre fund,
17. Crop Africa,
18. Gicheha and
19. Leldet Ltd.

12. Import regulation and Phytosanitary
measures
MLN is now treated as a regulated non
quarantine disease in Kenya. As such, seed
samples are delivered to KEPHIS Plant health
labs for screening for the two viruses.
A plant Import permit is issued for
importation once the lot is declared to be free
from the viruses.
The imported seed is subjected to seed testing
in the Seed testing lab In KEPHIS, Lanet.
12

13. Seed Certification Measures
Agreement with seed companies to
implement recommendations for preventing
MLND infection
Field Inspection of Seed fields is based on
the minimum thresholds for rejection
Field inspection standards are to be
adjusted to 1% at the final inspection,
followed by 0 tolerance for lab tests
Seed companies have adopted the dressing
of the seed with systemic insecticides e.g
Thunder, gaucho, Cruiser.
13

14. Inspectors in the field
14
A seed Inspector in the field
A devastated seed field

15. Seed Certification Measures
Seed treatment with systemic insecticides and
fungicides to control the vector and
opportunistic fungi for the first 6-8 weeks.
(Imidachloprid e.g. Gaucho, Thiamethoxam e.g.
Cruiser).
Seed is also dressed with fungicides, eg Maxim
and Royalcap
PCPB has been evaluating several systemic
insecticides for seed dressing that can protect the
maize crop in the field for a longer period
15

16. National performance Trials (NPTs)
Screening of all maize varieties under NPT for
MLN tolerance. This is a collaborative effort with
CIMMYT.
Tolerant varieties to be fast-tracked for release.
One moderately tolerant variety (WE1101) has
been released

17. Participation in stakeholder awareness programs
17
In 2013 and 2014, involved in MLND
awareness program coordinated by
MOA in collaboration with FAO and
others.
Covered all maize production regions
in the country
Focused on early detection of
symptoms, and the available
management options

18. Stakeholders awareness forums
18
Olenguruon Bomet

19. On average these seed companies
handle 33,000 tonnes of seed maize
per year
of which 28,000 tonnes is locally
produced and
5,000 tonnes is imported.
Seed Production (2014)

20. Trans-Nzoia Machakos
Uasin-Gishu Thika
Narok Embu
Taveta Nandi
Tana River Bungoma
Baringo Kakamega
Nakuru
The concentration of maize seed production is in the
following areas;

21. In the year 2014 the average
hactarage of seed maize inspected
was 25,000 ha
of which only 86.2ha was rejected
due to MLND in the field.
This is about 0.34 percent of the total
production area.
Sampling was undertaken upon
harvesting for laboratory testing
Seed Production (2014)

22. 22
MLND Testing at KEPHIS -
Takes two weeks
RNA Extraction
Sample Reception
Sampling leaf material
Pre- germination
One Day
Two Days
One Day
qPCR One Day
7 days

23. 23
Use of Molecular Biology techniques
● Diagnosis using both conventional and real-time PCR is the
current practice for MLND
● Currently also used for diagnosis of CBSV, CMD, MLND
and Ralstonia spp.
Real time PCR (qPCR)

24. 24
Conventional PCR assays
Bv: 1 2T 3 4 5 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A
Sugarcane mosaic virus
also tested using
conventional PCR
Virus specific PCR
primers
Sugarcane mosaic virus also tested
using conventional PCR

25. 25
+ve control
Buffer
Healthy
Positive samples
Double Antibody Sandwich (DAS)
ELISA assays

26. Since December 2014 and April
2015 the KEPHIS has tested a total
of 1,005 samples
Two other labs have been trained
and equipped to undertake MLND
testing (KEPHIS Nakuru and
Headquarters)
KEPHIS Nakuru has already started
testing all samples from their region
The headquarters lab will commence
as soon as a new batch of reagents
is delivered
MLND testing at KEPHIS

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THANK YOU