Kenya held its first national dialogue on genetically modified crops last month. The event brought together a diverse range of stakeholders in an attempt to bridge the knowledge divide. During the dialogue, Principal Secretary for Agricultural Research Prof. Hamadi Boga hinted that the government will make a decision on the GM foods import ban by July 2019. DrumBeat has curated vibrant twitter discussions that took place under the hashtag #MakeScienceCount.

Utilization of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) for sustainable food and nutrition security in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe

Research findings indicate that Bambara groundnut has great nutritional and agronomic potential, but it remains scientifically neglected. This study was conducted in seven districts in semi-arid regions of rural Zimbabwe to gather knowledge on current production and utilization of the crop, assessing its role in providing sustainable food and nutrition security for rural populations and determine priorities for follow-up research.

The risk posed by Xanthomonas wilt disease of banana: Mapping of disease hotspots, fronts and vulnerable landscapes

This study mapped aggregated Xanthomonas wilt (XW) disease distribution and hotspots in the African Great Lakes Region (AGLR) and identified vulnerable landscapes across African banana production zones. Presence of XW hotspots and vulnerable areas with low or no disease pressure suggest key areas where proactive measures e.g. quarantines and information sharing on XW diagnosis, epidemiology, and control could be beneficial.

Genetic diversity and population structure of early-maturing tropical maize inbred lines using SNP markers

This study assessed the genetic diversity of 94 early-maturing white and yellow tropical maize inbred lines using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Three heterotic groups were revealed. Wide genetic variability existed among the inbred lines making them unique with the potential to contribute new beneficial alleles to maize breeding programmes in the tropics, especially in the West and Central Africa (WCA) sub-region.