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Irrigating wheat crops across dryland belts from Sub-Saharan Africa is vital to realize higher yields, strengthen drought resilience and expand production into new areas. The limited supply of freshwater for agriculture, and cost of extraction, storage and delivery, however pose major challenges and make that the resource has to be exploited in the best way possible. Most wheat farmers in …
Grain yields of wheat strongly decrease when the crop is exposed to high diurnal temperatures at any point during its growth cycle and this occurs frequently in the hot rainy seasons when wheat is traditionally cultivated by farmers across the dry lowlands of Sub-Saharan Africa. Heat events in this time of year have become more regular and more intense because …
Production of wheat in North Africa and elsewhere, including some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, is threatened by infestations of the Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor), also called gall midge. This insect pest has spread across many major breadbasket areas, causing substantial losses. Damage to wheat crops is attributed to larvae from eggs deposited in grooves on the upper side of leaves. …
Yellow rust and stem rust are destructive diseases in major wheat production zones of Sub-Saharan Africa. Infections by these fungal pathogens lead to yield losses of 50-90% and may destroy entire wheat crops within only a few weeks. Rust diseases quickly spread as their spores are carried by wind, resulting in massive losses as occurred with the highly virulent African …
The productivity of legumes is often limited by the availability of soil nitrogen (N), a condition that may be addressed not only through application of mineral fertilizers and organic resources but also of symbiotic Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF). This process occurs in root nodules where rhizobium bacteria transform plant sugars and nitrogen gas into amino acids. Inoculating planted seed with …
Climbing bean varieties offer higher yields but require more intensive cultivation compared to bush types. Improved varieties of climbing bean with high yield potential, resistance to pests and diseases, and tolerance to abiotic stresses are now available in Eastern and Southern Africa. Breeding and selection for higher biological nitrogen fixation in climbing bean has served not only to cut costs …
Poor nutrition, including deficiencies of iron and zinc, is a major concern across Sub-Saharan Africa. Iron deficiency is expressed as anemia, impaired motor and cognitive development, elevated risk of maternal death and premature births, and low birthweight. Zinc deficiency results in weakened immune systems, more frequent infection and stunting. Eating biofortified varieties of beans results in higher micro-nutrient uptake and …
Heat and drought stress are forming two of the main environmental constraints on wheat production in Sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in Sudan temperatures often exceed 41°C and this severely undermines the flowering and grain-filling stages of wheat, leading to low national average of only 2 ton/ha, and often total crop failure. The increasing occurrence of extreme heat and drought spells …