Never too young: a boy learns about refugia crops in Kenya
You're never too young to learn: participants assess a range of fodder and cereal crops that can be used as “refugia”, fostering stem borers susceptible to the Bt toxin. In a longstanding partnership under the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project , CIMMYT works with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to offer farmers maize varieties that resist borers, which otherwise cause heavy losses (approximately 12% of Kenya’s annual maize crop). In addition to conventional breeding, one source of resistance in developing these varieties has been the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. A gene from this bacterium inserted into “Bt maize” causes it to produce a protein that is selectively toxic to certain borer species. However, mutant resistant borers unaffected by the toxin will flourish and eventually predominate, unless farmers use refugia to maintain a susceptible population. At this workshop in December 2005, sponsored by IRMA at KARI’s Kitale center, 50 participants—including researchers, extension workers, and farmers—learned about progress in the development of insect-resistant maize and the importance of refugia, evaluating numerous crops in the field for their potential as refugia.
For more information, see CIMMYT's December 2005 e-news story "Bug Havens Keep Maize Pest-Proof," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/newsletter/86-2005/344-bug-havens-keep-mai....
For the latest information on the IRMA project, see: www.cimmyt.org/en/projects/insect-resistant-maize-for-africa.
Photo credit: CIMMYT.
Never too young: a boy learns about refugia crops in Kenya
You're never too young to learn: participants assess a range of fodder and cereal crops that can be used as “refugia”, fostering stem borers susceptible to the Bt toxin. In a longstanding partnership under the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project , CIMMYT works with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to offer farmers maize varieties that resist borers, which otherwise cause heavy losses (approximately 12% of Kenya’s annual maize crop). In addition to conventional breeding, one source of resistance in developing these varieties has been the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. A gene from this bacterium inserted into “Bt maize” causes it to produce a protein that is selectively toxic to certain borer species. However, mutant resistant borers unaffected by the toxin will flourish and eventually predominate, unless farmers use refugia to maintain a susceptible population. At this workshop in December 2005, sponsored by IRMA at KARI’s Kitale center, 50 participants—including researchers, extension workers, and farmers—learned about progress in the development of insect-resistant maize and the importance of refugia, evaluating numerous crops in the field for their potential as refugia.
For more information, see CIMMYT's December 2005 e-news story "Bug Havens Keep Maize Pest-Proof," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/newsletter/86-2005/344-bug-havens-keep-mai....
For the latest information on the IRMA project, see: www.cimmyt.org/en/projects/insect-resistant-maize-for-africa.
Photo credit: CIMMYT.