12. 304a

1.This is an interesting study. I am however concerned with the negative publicity associated with crisps and similar food categorised as “junk foods”. There are numerous reports indicating that these foods could be associated with obesity, poor healthy, among others. Your study shows children are among the major consumers of these foods. (i) Can you comment on this rather negative perception, how true is it? (ii) What can be done to prevent any associated health problems, especially to children?ANSWER: I share in your concern to a great extent. To a large extent, these concerns are true concerning such foods as crisps because in most cases the said foods contain a lot of oil which the consumer does not know its quality (was it liquid or solid?, was it saturated or unsaturated?, and how many times it is used in processing?. Currently, the standards bodies especially in the developing countries are not able to regulate effectively these factors of concern. One therefore has to chose the types of foods eaten and regulate the amounts per day.

2.The results show  that “The oil content ranged from 24.37 to 40.22 % while the moisture and salt contents varied from 1.09 to 5.45 %, and 1.10 to 2.96 %, respectively”. Are there no standards to regulate the properties of crisps? This wide variation in oil, salt and moisture is alarming? Are these ranges within expectation as per standard? Who is responsible for enforcing them? ANSWER: Yes there are standards and the regulator is the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).The current oil content should be 40% maximum which is still high and we have already raised this concern for this limit to be reduced to maximum of 35% since most brands and especially imported ones have much lower levels. Salt of 2.5% is acceptable in most cases and there are proposals to reduce it to 2%. KEBS are trying their best to do the control but their work is not effective due to inadequate capacity. We are however encouraging processors to use potatoes and processing methods that ensure less oil absorption

304b

1. What is so peculiar about Bomet district where you indicate most of the preferred variety Dutch Robyn is grown? Aren’t similar conditions found elsewhere in Kenya where the potato can be grown to meet demand?ANSWER: Conditions may not be entirely congruent but may be slightly similar and especially when soil types are included. Research is on-going in this regard and we may be able to bring more light.

2. You have indicated that over 60% of potato crisp processors also process peanuts, among other products. Considering the risk of allergies especially those associated with peanut, I wonder whether these small scale processors take any precautions to ensure the processing lines for potato do not inadvertently mix with peanut? Did you investigate this or have you any evidence of any measures being taken to avoid such mix ups? ANSWER: This is a keen observation so to speak. However, in most cases,potato crisps is the main product and is always first to be processed before the oil can be used for any other work. Again peanuts are not deep fried bby these processors; they are shallow fried and hence there is almost no point where oil used for peanuts will ever be used to process crisps or any products. Such worries may not apply. 3. Your study suggests marketing is not a problem for the crisp processors? This is untypical of agricultural products. What could be the explanation for this peculiar observation in Kenya?ANSWER: Strange as it may be to you so was it to me in the first instance. The respondence however indicated that in as much as marketing is always an issue, it was more difficult to have readily available and good quality raw potatoes, comparatively.

304c

1. 70% traders depending on potato only is both interesting and alarming. It indicates clearly that potato is an important crop that supports many livelihoods. However one wonders what all these people do when demand is less or when potatoes are out of season? What prevents potato traders from diversifying their range of products?ANSWER: Nothing whatsoever would prevent a potato trader from diversification. You, however, note that this would be a choice to be made by the trader. others have developed this as a speciality trade and have developed into seasoned traders who would ensure they really lack not potatoes which on scarcity sell at very prices fetching high returns.

2. I think you meant that demand and supply are negatively correlated (r= - 0.96)? What exactly does this mean? One might expect a correlation study between supply and price per bag of potatoes but how do you relate demand and supply? Do you mean people eat more potato when their supply is high? Pls explain ANSWER:Thank you for this keen observation.I take seriously your comment. While not defending this statement, what it was really meant to state is that when there is high supply of potatoes, the demand is generaly low and the contrary is true.

13. 306 You are correctly addressing an important challenge especially considering current experiences with climate change and its unpredictable effects. However, we notice that drought conditions are also being increasingly/unpredictably being experienced even in high potential areas, e.g. when rains failed in 2009 in Kenya. Unfortunately the maize varieties best suited for the high potential agroecologies, e.g. the 600 series, are not drought tolerant, so farmers experience failed production. The suggested alternatives, e.g. DUMA, which is reportedly drought tolerant has not been at all impressive in the highland areas. One wonders whether it is possible to introgress genes for drought tolerance to varieties in the 600 series such that they are “armed” when drought materializes. Can genes for drought tolerance co-exist in the same variety with genes for production in high potential “moisture adequate” environments?

ANSWER: For a long time, drought has not been a problem in the high potential areas and as such, no breeding efforts were directed towards incorporating drought tolerance into the elite varieties in such regions. Rather, scientist focussed on yield and other stresses important to the regions, such as diseases and pests. Climate change and unpredictable rainfall patterns in the recent past have got the maize scientists acknowledging that no region is now safe from drought. Drought tolerance development has been running in the country especially in the dry mid-altitude ecologies and hence germplasm with drought tolerance is available for introgressing into elite varieties. Therefore, Yes! it is possible to introgress, and with the available biotechnological tools, such a process can be expedited. Scientists will however need to quantify the negative correlation between drought tolerance and yield, if any, and establish ways of dealing with this.
Concerning DUMA, this is a variety that was bred for the lowlands and dry areas and not evaluated for performance optimum high potential areas conditions. However, realizing the problems facing the country currently, maize scientists have developed a strategy for evaluating all materials developed for drought tolerance under optimum conditions such that the varieties can be productive under both stressed and unstressed conditions.
I can assure you that serious drought tolerance work in maize is currently going on in the country.

Thank you very much.
Regards,Dorcus Chepkesis Gemenet
Plant Breeder-Maize,
KARI-Kakamega,
P.O. Box 169-50100,
Kakamega.

14. 313a

1. In some cultures the male buds are consumed as vegetables. How would harvesting the male bud ‘early’ as you recommend affect its quality as a vegetable, e.g. nutritional value?

2. Would the cost of labour for male bud removal at the right time be offset by the gain in market value of the harvested bunch? With banana especially in some east African varieties that have tall plants it takes quite an effort to reach the male bud, thus this p[rocess can be costly.

3. A reader would like to add a comment; that early removal of male bud also helps to reduce transmission of some diseases, e.g. Xanthomonas wilt, which can be spread by insect vectors ([on banana!] à has this disease been reported on plantain?) and cigar end rot (Verticillium wilt.

313b

1. Are consumers really willing to pay more for bunches that have more uniform fingers? Have any market studies been done on this?

2. Under natural evolutionary process there must have been a good reason as to why all fingers on a bunch are not of the same size? Could you know what purpose this could be in nature? How is this function likely to be compromised by the move towards trimming the bunch as to attain uniformity of fingers?

313c

At different stages of growth plants have different physiological mechanisms for coping with challenges such as drought. How accurately do you think your trial reflects real situations in the field? You have mentioned  that drought is much more likely  to affect plants at productive stages. We have however noticed in many areas that young banana plants have great difficulties establishing if planted during periods when moisture is deficient, but rarely do we see mature plants dying off when moisture is little, even though their productive may be reduced. Comment.

15. 314a

1. No doubt your study is useful. However, the results will even make it more difficult to recommend shea for use in livestock feed. It seems different levels of inclusion would have to be determined for each of the different regions. This more so considering that variation in energy related parameters is very high, and this is a key consideration in feed formulation. Whats your comment?

2. What is the explanation for the differences in proximate values of shea? Could it be differences in soil properties in the different ecological areas? Or be due to genetic differences between trees in different localities? If it is soil properties, how can these be stabilised to have uniformity in shea products?

Response:

1. No doubt there is great variation in energy related traits across regions. This is not strange with shea. The solution, presently, to my mind is to go for shea sources that best satisfy one’s particular end-use. In other words there could be best sources for a particular industry. This is one of the points this study may serve to highlight. 

2. The differences in shea proximate values could be attributed to soil, climatic and genetic factors as you have rightly observed. Trait uniformity can be achieved when the species is fully or at least reasonably domesticated. Cultivars and agronomic practices can then be developed with particular markets or end-uses in mind.

314b

1. I would like to know if the shea tree is associated with seed dormancy? If so how can this be broken so that germination can be better synchronised?

2. Has it been investigated if there are genetic differences between the shea accessions from the different locations? The results appear to suggest this.

3. It seems shea seed are difficult to grow.  Can it be propagated by tissue culture or other biotechnological interventions?

Response:

1. The shea tree is not associated with dormancy per se. Viable seeds easily sprout under favourable conditions. Problem comes when the false radicle goes underground to continue growth and form the ‘swelling’ from where the pinkish shoot will form and start coming up, just as the true root continues its downward growth at the other end. Actually, it takes time before the shoot appears above ground. So I don’t think it’s the problem of dormancy.
2. Yes. Studies have actually pointed to the existence of genetic differences between shea accessions from different sites.

As far as seedling emergence speed is concerned, shea seeds can be considered difficult to grow. It also seems to me that tissue culture techniques could bring the required breakthrough

314c

1.You have said that the saw dust based media gave superior performance. In percentage terms, what was the seedling emergence obtained with each of the two media that had saw dust?

2.You have attributed some of the benefit to inclusion of chicken manure. At what rate are you recommending inclusion of poultry manure? This is important considering C/N ratio balance can also affect population dynamics of beneficial microorganisms.

Response:

1. The first and second saw dust based media gave emergence percentage values of 80 and 86.7% respectively.

2. From results of this work, 33.3-50.0% poultry manure (on volume basis) could be included. Am impressed with your consideration of C/N ratio and its implication on microbial activity. I never thought of that. 

16. 315b

1. Your results and your conclusion seem to contradict each other. The following section says “sensibilité du champignon aux benzimidazoles et aux strobilurines s’est montré en général suffisant. Toutefois,  le niveau de résistance aux strobilurines s’est montré très élevé dans les bassins de production de Dabou (80 %) et d’Azaguié (99 %). How can the sensitivity to strobilurine be adequate when resistance levels are also very high? Answer: 1- your remark is correct in , the high level of resistance doesn't concerne all the zones but only one plantation (CDBCI for Dabou and EGLIN for Azaguié); thank you !

2. What is the reason for increased resistance to strobilurines? Are they being used heavily in the study areas? Can you recommend that their use be stopped? Can mixing them with other fungicides reduce development of resistance? Answer: 2- in the production area thre are many plantations, but each his own programme of fungicides application, there is no concertation. 

315c

1. Does the reduced effectiveness of the nematodes when combined depend on their populations?

2. I am wondering about the relevance of this study. What motivated you to study the two nematodes together? Do they occur often together in your area? What is the likelihood of these nematodes occurring together in an area where bananas are being grown? Answer 2- Yes the two nematodes exist in the most banana production aera in Cote d'Ivoire. in the e-conference 2009, a paper was published on their distridution and the number of banana productio cycles (Gnonhouri et al).

17. 316

1. Inspite of substantial discussion on the benefits of organic farming, it has not translated into actual widespread practice in Kenya and other countries. I think partly its because farmers have not realised the anticipated benefits (primarily more income, which would be the main motive for commercial farming). Do you think this is likely to change going to the future? Besides identifying niche markets for organic products what more do you think could be done to retain and attract more farmers to the organic sector?

2. Your abstract mentions tree products as a promising area for organic farming. Considering that trees take longer to mature, and hence to realise the benefits, what incentive can be offered to farmers as they wait?

18. 317a

1.A common problem in treating malaria is occurrence of resistance to conventional drugs. Has any resistance been observed with use of traditional medicine? If not, what would explain this?

2.Are the plants in your inventory used exclusively for treating malaria or they have other purposes? I think it would be beneficial to report these other uses as well.

3. Drug combination therapy is the recommended approach to treating malaria currently. Do the Nandi people practice that, i.e. do they use a combination of plants at one time, or an episode is treated using a single plant at any one time?

317c

1.What criterion was used to categorise a medicinal plant as endangered? Was this criteria determined by the researcher or by the Nandi community?

2. Could you give further details of how the date of sampling affected ability of cutting to germinate? I would like to know more on what mechanism is affected by the time of cutting sampling.

3. What season was appropriate for harvesting the cuttings? Can cuttings harvested outside this season be manipulated to increase their germination/establishment?

4. Besides propagation by cuttings, has propagation by more advanced methods, e.g. tissue culture been tried with these plants? What were the results?

19. 318a

1. Its not clear for what purpose this plant is being investigated? Is it for consumption or for medicinal purposes? Is there any previous record of its use for medicinal purposes?

2. The extracts have important antimicrobial activity. However, how do you balance this against the anti clotting properties, which could be lethal and undesirable in some instances?

318b
This is an interesting study especially as it can be easily used in areas where more advanced facilities and resources for analysing pollution may not be available. Can the authors comment on the following

1. How does use of snails compare to other analytical methods in terms of cost, efficiency and accuracy?

2. Isn’t there a risk that snails can adjust/adapt to pollution in cases where the amounts of pesticide increases only gradually within the ecosystem? In this case they may not exhibit any symptoms even at relatively high pollution levels?

3. Do snails develop resistance to pesticides?

20. 321a

1. In terms of cost, what would be most economical comparing single applications of manure (4 tons) or fertilizer (250kg.ha) OR combining the manure 2 ton and fertilizer 125kg/ha?

2. Does the increase in marketable yield offset the increased cost of manure or fertilizer use?

321 b

1. What was the yield of planting material with each of the different methods? Was the difference between the methods statistically significant?

2. How did you prevent fungal infection on the sliced surfaces? This is usually common, even with other crops like yam or potatoes.

3. Were the planting materials sterilised or disinfected to reduce infection of the planted corms? How was this done?

22.322b

1. Since the plant F. hexapetala seems to be effective in reducing pest population, it might have increased demand and application by farmers. Is this plant cultivated or it only grows in the wild? Is there enough number of plants to ensure sustainable use for control of insects?

2. Can you comment on the cost of using the plant extract as a pesticide compared to using synthetic pesticides? Which one is more affordable?

3. We know some pesticides kill even the non-targeted organisms which are beneficial. Does the extract of F. hexapetala kill any organisms which other than the original target pest M.persicae?

23.323

1. Since the residues can spread the rice virus disease, do you recommend not to use them in the farms? ANSWER: Since the residues can spread the rice virus disease, do you recommend not to use them in the farms?
I recommend not to use the infected residues in the farm, you must remove and burn them. After that it’s possible to use the ashes as fertilizer.

2. What will happen to soil fertility when you stop incorporating the residues into the soil? ANSWER: Nothing will happen if the rice farmers use mineral fertilizer.

3. What other affordable methods can be used to improve soil fertility? ANSWER: For the other affordable methods to improve soil fertility, it’s possible to use some vegetable (leguminous) in association with rice. It’s also possible to use onsite fertilization as a new technology in the farm.

4. Do the residues serve any other purposes in the rice fields? ANSWER:In the village craftsman use rice residues to make mattress. Some farmers use it as cow’s food.

24. 324

1. Normally, the challenge in crop production is lack of adequate Fe in the consumed produce (as micronutrient). How much Iron (Fe) is in the grains of the rice grown in the study area? Answer:
1.  A MSc student works on this topic. We have just started to have data about this aspect. So I think that if Fe level in the grain of the rice grown under iron toxicity condition is greater than those grown in normal condition it will be a good thing.

2. Besides growing varieties that are tolerant to Fe, what other measures can be taken to manage the problem? Answe:
2. Besides tolerant varieties, iron toxicity can be managed by, Using fertilizer such as N, P, K, Zn alone or together
Good cultural practices (best water management) Planting on bridge

25. 325a

1. Currently, we have a very serious problem of aflatoxin in maize in Kenya. I think we can borrow your idea on how to manage it. How does the zeolite function? What happens to the aflatoxin after it is absorbed by the zeolite? Is it removed from the body?

2. What is the cost of using zeolite in the animal feed? Is it affordable to small farmers in developing countries?

3. Can zeolite be used SAFELY in human diet?

26. 326

1. How effectively can the pastroralist communities integrate farming into their livelihoods? It seems they are not as efficient in farming as they are in keeping livestock.

2. You have not mentioned land tenure systems as one of the possible impediments to development of the area. How does this impact on agricultural activities in the area?

27. 327
IT90K-277-2 and Sanzisabinli possess significant resistance to M. Sjostedti. Why then do authors not see need to use some minimal level of pesticides at least to ensure the existing resistance is sustained? Is it not prudent to employ integrated management to some extent, here combining resistance and pesticides?

28. 328a

1. What could be the reason for the reduced hatchability of eggs from the cross breeds? One would have expected the opposite since this crossing should result in some sort of “heterosis”?.

2. Besides genetic make up, is there anything in Soroti that puts chicken there at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the nation?

328b

1. Could you give some suggestions on what measures need to be taken to contain these diseases?

2. Are there differences in livestock breeds kept in the various districts included in this study? What could explain the observed differences in incidence/prevalence?

29. 329

1. How does the cost of macropropagated seedlings compare to that of tissue cultured seedlings?

2. Is there a difference in the establishment and yield of macropropagated and tissue cultured seedlings (comparing the same variety)?

3. Can the suckers of plants from macropropagated seedlings be used for establishing a plantation or one has to buy fresh seedlings always?

4. Can you give an indication of how long it takes to learn this process?

ANSWER:1.        Cost of macropropagated seedlings compared to tissue cultured seedlings Seedlings from tissue culture are highly priced. These results from the large capital investment required, materials needed for the process are costly and technique can only be done by highly skilled
individuals. However macropropagation has relatively cheaper seedlings cost 40 – 50% lower than tissue culture seedlings. The production cost is lower due to lesser capital investment.

2.        Difference in establishment and yield of macropropagated and tissue culture seedlings Yield of macropropagated seedlings is high but more research needs to be done to ensure they are disease free.. Yield of tissue culture
seedlings is high resulting from being disease free with assured genetic purity and uniform growth. Establishment in the field from the nursery would take less time because the conditions are not very different. For tissue culture the in vitro and in vivo conditions are quite different and require more time for acclimatization

3.        Suckers of macropropagated seedlings can be used for establishing a plantation however their efficiency needs to be tested.

4.        Learning the process of macropropagation It is relatively easy to learn macropropagation. It would take 3 hours
to demonstrate the process. This is possible when one has all the materials that are required. Collecting materials, establishing and carrying out the whole process would take approximately 6weeks.

30. 330a

1. Some recent research seems to suggest that availability of quality seedlings is the most severe challenge. Now your abstract indicates that diseases are more severe. As an aspiring passion fruit farmer in Kenya can you inform me which one is more important?

2. What could be the origin of all these diseases attacking passion fruits? Is it possible some have been introduced from other countries?

330b

1. Is there a difference between this Phytophthora sp. of passion fruit and the one attacking potatoes? The one of potatoes is easily controlled using fungicides, maybe these fungicides can be used to control the passion fruit disease?

2. You are suggesting the dieback complex could be formed by virus and fungi, which is unusual. I am curious to know if there are any other known such complex between virus and fungus  for any other plant disease.

31. 331

1. Seedlings produced through natural regeneration have been said to be less prone to mutations compared to tissue culture. Do you know whether macropropagation also can produce some undesirable genetic changes in the banana seedlings.

2. Some people have said that suckers from tissue cultured mother plants should not be planted. Why is this so?

3. Can any banana  variety be multiplied by any method?

The main criteria that will be used to select the Agro-ecoloical Zones will be altitude (Meters Above Sea level). Usually the altitude will determine temperature and rainfall, these factors are important to for suitability and performance of various cultivars.

These are the answers;

1. Seedlings produced through natural regeneration have been said to be
less prone to mutations compared to tissue culture. Do you know whether
macropropagation also can produce some undesirable genetic changes in
the banana seedlings.

The chances are not there as the seedlings from that results from macro-propagation are not different from naturally regenerated seedlings, the only difference is manipulation of the corm to produce many seedlings by overcoming apical dominance.

2.    Some people have said that suckers from
tissue cultured mother plants should not be planted. Why is this so?

If the plantlets are subcultured for more than 3 times there are chances of clonal variations usually this is not the case only the first and second culture generations are used.

3.   
 Can any banana  variety be multiplied by any method?

No, some genotypes of banana cultivars have been reported to respond poorly to tissue culture hence their suitability for this method is poor. However all the genotype will respond well with macro-propagation and natural regeneration.