Browsing by Author "Shango, Abdul Jafari"

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Extent of spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Morogoro District, Tanzania
(CABI, 2020-06) Shango, Abdul Jafari
Background: Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is an important spice produced by small-scale farmers in Morogoro district of Tanzania for both local and export markets. Recently, farmers have reported a decline in crop productivity due to spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper plants. The study was conducted to obtain baseline information on the extent of the disorders. Methods: An altitudinal transect survey was conducted in Morogoro district from October to November 2018. Data were collected from 216 pepper farmers through a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and field observations. Chi square tests (α = 0.05) were used to compare differences between gender, pepper cultivars by wards and yield, spike shedding and stem wilting by pepper cultivars and plant species used to support pepper vines. Fisher’s exact test at (α = 0.05) was used to compare the effects of production constraints and altitude. A regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between altitude and the incidence of spike shedding and stem wilting. Results: The majority of interviewees (69%) had observed spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper on their farms for > 3 years. Spike shedding was more prominent at 300 meters above sea level (masl, 85.7%), while stem wilting was reported by most (66.7%) farmers at 457 masl. The most affected pepper cultivar was reported to be “Babu kati” in Mtombozi (19.2% of respondents) and “Ismailia” in Mkuyuni and Kibogwa (28.9% of respondents) wards, while in Kibungo ward cultivar “Babu ndogo” (85.7% of respondents) and in Konde ward cultivar “Babu kubwa” (53.8% of respondents) were most affected. Approximately 53% of respondents reporting the disorders used Jatropha to support the pepper vines, and 93% of the farmers reported the disorders to occur during the dry season. A greater proportion of the interviewed farmers (92.1%) reported applying no measures to control spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper. Conclusions: Incidence of spike shedding and stem wilting was higher at a low altitude compared to high altitude areas. The magnitude of the disorders differed among pepper cultivars regardless of support plants species used. Poor adoption of key agronomic practices and lack of any information on control measures may be contributing to the high incidence of the disorders in the study area. The study demonstrates the extent of the problem, and provides a baseline for identifying the causal agent(s) of spike shedding and stem wilting, which in turn will allow appropriate control measures to be selected.
Morphological characterization and yield of pepper (Piper nigrum L.) types grown in Morogoro District, Tanzania
(CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 2021) Shango, Abdul Jafari; Majubwa, Ramadhani Omari; Maerere, Amon Petro
Background: Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is among key spice crops grown in Morogoro district of Tanzania. Most of the pepper types grown in the district are only known by their local names as Babu kubwa, Babu ndogo, Babu kati and Ismailia. This may limit information on germplasm collection or genetic resource for plant improvement and trade in markets with variety specifications. The aim of this study was to generate preliminary information of the pepper types based on their morphological characteristics for easy comparison with other known pepper varieties in the spices industry. Methods: The evaluation of pepper morphological characters was conducted following a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments (pepper types). Observations were recorded with respect to 28 characters (9 qualitative and 19 quantitative) which entail vegetative (8) and reproductive (20) traits. The quantita- tive data for vegetative, inflorescence and berry characters were subjected to analysis of variance. Mean separation test was conducted using Turkey’s Honest Significance Test at (α = 0.05). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between yield and yield attributes of pepper. Results: Babu kubwa and Babu ndogo pepper types were characterized by erect and horizontal branching habit, whereas the others showed hanging habit. Babu kubwa had longer spikes (12.4 cm), leaves blade (17.9 cm), leaf petiole (2.8 cm), wider leaves (12.9 cm) and larger berries (5.8 mm) than all other pepper types. Babu kubwa and Babu kati had cordate and acute leaf bases, respectively while other types had round leaf base shapes. The highest number of flowers was recorded on Babu kubwa (93.5) and Ismailia (90.7) with spikes weighing 7.6 g and 7.5 g, respectively compared to other types. Babu ndogo and Ismailia had compact spikes, while other types had medium loose spikes. Babu kati had the highest number of spikes kg −1 (282.6) due its lower spike weight compared to other types. The highest weight of 100 fresh spikes (704.3 g) and 1000 fresh berries (164.2 g) was recorded on Ismailia. Spike length was significantly positively correlated to yield (r = 0.23, R 2 = 0.08, p < 0.001). However, yield had a significant nega- tive correlation with the number of spikes kg −1 (r = −0.85, R 2 = 0.017, p = 0.001) and fresh weight of 1000 berries (r = −0.91, R 2 = 0.003, p = 0.04). Conclusions: The pepper types grown in Morogoro district differed significantly based on most of the evalu- ated traits. This information can be used to formulate methods and strategies for conservation and in turn genetic improvement of the crop. Despite that the pepper types literary matched with characters of some well-known commercial varieties, confirmation of genetic relatedness is yet needed. Further studies need to be conducted in consecutive years and involve assessment of internal quality attributes. Other studies should encompass wider range of pepper types from other producing areas in Tanzania in order to establish their morphological distinctness, genetic diversity and interrelationships in relation to the globally known commercial varieties.