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Integrated Management of Napier Grass Stunt Disease in East Africa

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Sustainable Management of Phytoplasma Diseases in Crops Grown in the Tropical Belt

Part of the book series: Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection ((SUPP,volume 12))

Abstract

Napier grass stunt (NGS) disease is a serious disease of the most important fodder crop in East Africa. The disease is caused by a phytoplasma, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma oryzae’, a cell wall-less bacterium belonging to the 16SrXI group, in the class Mollicutes. The disease affects Napier grass causing up to 100% crop loss in infested farms. Despite the absence of a commercially available, effective control method, several techniques have been attempted by farmers to support the integrated management of NGS disease in the affected regions. This chapter reviews various methods used by farmers to control the disease in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. We also propose suggestions that could be used to curb the spread of the disease to regions not yet reached by the pathogen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology Department, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

    George O. Asudi

  2. Matthias-Schleiden-Institute for Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany – Department of Plant Physiology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany

    George O. Asudi

  3. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya

    Francis N. Muyekho

  4. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya

    Charles A. O. Midega & Zeyaur R. Khan

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  1. George O. Asudi
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  2. Francis N. Muyekho
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  3. Charles A. O. Midega
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  4. Zeyaur R. Khan
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Correspondence to George O. Asudi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Chrystel Y. Olivier

  2. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Tim J. Dumonceaux

  3. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Edel Pérez-López

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Asudi, G.O., Muyekho, F.N., Midega, C.A.O., Khan, Z.R. (2019). Integrated Management of Napier Grass Stunt Disease in East Africa. In: Olivier, C., Dumonceaux, T., Pérez-López, E. (eds) Sustainable Management of Phytoplasma Diseases in Crops Grown in the Tropical Belt. Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29650-6_5

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