Presented by S. Gudu, E.O. Ouma, A.O. Onkware, E.J. Too, B.A. Were, J.O. Ochuodho, C.O. Othieno, J.R. Okalebo, J. Agalo and S.M. Maina at the First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

1. Preliminary Participatory On-farm Sorghum Variety
Selection for Tolerance to drought, Soil Acidity and
Striga in Western Kenya
.
S. Gudu, E.O. Ouma, A.O. Onkware, E.J. Too,
B.A. Were, J.O. Ochuodho, C.O. Othieno, J.R.
Okalebo, J. Agalo and S.M. Maina
Moi University, Kenya
First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference
United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

2. INTRODUCTION
• Sorghum is a major food and nutritional security
crop to > 100 million people in Eastern horn of
Africa, owing to its resilience to drought & other
production constrains.
• It is a multipurpose crop used as food, feed &
beer manufacture & ethanol production.
• We need a sorghum revolution to minimize its
production challenges, improve its productivity in
order to enjoy its role as food security crop.

3. Sorghum Production Constraints & Yield Loss in East &
Central Africa
Wortman et al. (2009)

4. Soil Acidity & sorghum ecology Aluminium toxicity Phosphorous deficiency
Some Sorghum production Challenges in western Kenya
Sorghum Anthracnose problem Striga problem in sorghum

5. Sorghum Ecology and Economy in Western Kenya
• Acid soils (pH <5.5); high (Al) (4-67 % saturation).
• Low available Phosphorous (P) (3-5mgP/kg Soil).
• Frequent pre- and post-flowering droughts.
• Low nitrogen, stimulates Striga infestation.
• Grown by small scale farmers without inputs.
• Only 17 % of sorghum farmers are aware of
soil acidity problem
• > 90 % of farmers use own-seed or neighbor's
• Yield are very low (05 t/ha)and farm sizes
small (0.5 – 2.5 acres/family).

6. OBJECTIVES
• To use participatory variety selection to
evaluate and promote adoption of sorghum
genotypes for drought, soil acidity and disease
tolerance.
• Develop and promote best management
strategies for sorghum anthracnose
• Undertake marketing and value chain analyses
of sorghum in eastern Africa.

7. outputs
• Output 1. Drought tolerant stay-green and other
novel early maturing sorghum genotypes
evaluated on-farm.
• Output 4. Environmentally friendly and
sustainable sorghum anthracnose management
options developed.
• Output 5. Data and knowledge to strengthen and
expand market opportunities and value chains of
sorghum in Kenya generated and promoted.

8. Breeding Methodology
1. Introductions of diverse germplasm Brazil, Icrisat (India, Kenya), Tanzania,
with various traits Kenya & Uganda
2. Crosses in all possible combinations to P X Al; Drought X Al; Drought X P; etc.
develop multiple stress tolerance
3. Selections under severe stress (Striga, In Western Kenya which produces over
Drought, Al & P) 70 % of sorghum in the country
4. Stable potential cultivars tolerant to 126 lines were obtained and tested on-
more than one stress were obtained farm in several sites in Kenya. In cycle 2
of participatory selection, 36 were
retained and in cycle 3 of selection, now
we have only 14 lines undergoing further
selection in western Kenya.

9. Breeding/Selection Phase

11. Characteristics of some of the elite lines developed
FIG 4. GRAIN YIELD AT NO PHOSPHORUS APPLICATION
60.0
50.0 7
Net root length (cm)
6
5
40.0
4
GRAIN YIELD (g)
NRL0
3
30.0 MEAN NRL148
2
1
20.0 0
P5 C1 C19 C26 A4 M45 N24b A3 G2 M44 N120 N88
Sorghum Lines
10.0
0.0
b
d
2
26
1
8
p
4
3
47
2
b
a
53
21
3
72
10
7
0
3
44
a
N 9
5
46
06
N 7
re
Q
S2
S5
S1
S1
14
E1
11
S2
S1
R
C
T5
32
0
4
7
7
C
N
N
N
N
R
M
M
T1
14
F1
15
15
N
N
P3
M
N
ACCESSION

12. OUR SORGHUM EXPERIMENTAL SITES IN WESTERN KENYA

13. Site Description
 The evaluation was conducted in Sega (00 15’ 21”N & 340 13’ 33”E)
and Matayos (0o 19’N & 34o 12’E) sites in the year 2011 and 2012.
 For drought, the materials werer tested at Karung, a semi-arid land
 The soils at the two sites have low pH (<5.5 ) and are acidic (high Al
saturation and low available P) (Kisinyo et al., 2012).
Table 1: Site agro ecology, soil chemical and physical characteristic
cmo/kg
Rainf MeanTe P % % % Textu
all mp. (mg/k % % M ECE % Sa Cla Si ral
(mm) (oC) pH g) N C K Ca g Al C Al nd y lt Class
Mata 1400 22 0.1 3.5 0.0 1.9 1.7 1.5
yos 4.9 5 3 1 6 3 6 3 5.28 29 18 66 16 Clay
1000 24 0.1 2.6 0.0 2.8 1.7 1.9
Sega 4.5 3 3 9 4 1 2 7 6.54 30 28 56 16 Clay

14. Experimental Design
 For the on-farm trial at Sega 13 lines and check
variety(seredo) were laid out in RCBD replicated 2 times and
tested across 3 farmers’ fields, with 0, 4 t lime/ha. While at
Matayos 15 lines were laid out in a split plot design, RCBD
replicated 2 times and tested across 2 farmers’ fields.
 Planting at both sites was done at a spacing of 0.75 X 0.2 m
in plots of 3 m x 3 m. DAP fertilizer was uniformly applied to
the plots(26kg P/ha) and Top dressing done 6 weeks after
planting using CAN (75 kg N ha-1.)
 Weeding was done manually thrice and the crop protected
from shoot fly damage using Beta-cyhalothrin (Bulldock GR
0.05) at a rate of 6 Kg ha-1.
Data was collected on plant height, panicle length, panicle
width, days to 50% flowering and grain yield.
Data was scored using the 2 middle rows, leaving out the
two outer rows and also leaving out one plants from each
extreme ends of the 2 middle rows.

15. Participatory variety selection
• At crop maturity, over 50 sorghum farmers from Sega and
67 farmers at Matayos sites were invited for a field days
at the two sites to select their preferred lines based on
performance of the respective lines according to
procedures of Asby et al. (2009).
• Selection criteria was explained to the farmers &
questionnaires administered. Farmers were to: (i) rank the
various lines based on grain colour, plant height, grain
yield, panicle size, grain size, and early maturity,
tolerance to soil acidity and resistance to birds’ damage.
The researchers were keen to know whether there is
variation in preference of the various sorghum lines
among farmers from the two sites.
.

16. RESULTS

17. Fig 8: Some of the Sorghum farmers selecting preferred varieties at Sega site during a field day.
Fig 8: Some of the Sorghum farmers selecting preferred varieties at Matayos site during a field day.

18. Promotion of drought , striga and soil acidity tolerance sorghum in
western Kenya

19. DATA ANALYSIS
 Data was Analyses using Excel and Genstat
 Grain yield and yield components data were subjected to
2-way analysis of variance by fitting the following model for
RCBD or according to the experimental design used (Split
plot and split-split plot arrangements):
Xijk = µ +αi +βj +Ʃij
where: Xijk----- plot observation,
µ-- overall mean;
αi----treatment effect;
βj----block effect;
Ʃij---experimental error due to treatments and blocks
(Kearsey and Pooni, 1996).

20. RESULTS CONT….
In the 2012 on-farm evaluations the Fourteen selected
lines varied significantly in performance across the 3
farms at Sega site.
Overally Nyadundo 1 gave the highest grain weight
while N57 the lowest.
Seven lines (Nyadundo 1, T 30b, C26, E97, E54,E16
and E12) outperformed seredo
Farm 3 had the highest mean grain weight (1.2 kg/plot)
followed by farm 2 (1.02 kg/plot)

21. Means of grain weight of selected advanced sorghum lines tested for tolerance to soil
acidity across 3 farms at Sega in 2012.

22. Performance of selected sorghum lines tested for tolerance soil acidity across 3 farms at Sega
in 2012, without lime application.

23. Table 1: Agronomic performance (plant height, days to 50% flowering and grain yield of advanced sorghum lines evaluated under drought conditions in Karu
VARIETY G.yld P.H P.L P.W 50% F. Sd.clr P.SHAPE
t/ha (cm) (cm) (cm) days
MCSRV Nyadundo 1 2.233a 151.4ab 18.07bc 3.93a 67b Red 4E
MCSRV N4 1.953ab 166.1ab 14.16c 3.22a 77a Red 4E
MCSRV E94 1.833ab 181.1a 19.27bc 3.9a 70b L.Brown 4E
MCSRV F14a 1.373ab 135.8ab 20.23a-c 3.83a 69b Brown 4E
MCSRV E36-1 1.1ab 146.5ab 21.2ab 3.3a 69b White 4E
MCSRV wagita 0.86ab 156.8ab 18bc 3.17a 70a Red 4E
Serena 0.833ab 146.2ab 19.97a-c 3.2a 66b L.Brown 4E
MCSRV G2 0.267b 165.7ab 26.6a 2.93a 69b White 4E
D1 0.25b 128.6c 23.5ab 2.63b 68b Brown 4E
MCSRV Nyadundo 2 2.02a 136.6a 18.1bcd 5.133a 67c Red 4E
Serena 1.75a 136.8a 18.73bc 4.933a 69bc L.Brown 4E
MCSRV E49 1.7a 127.6a 16.43cde 4.3a 76a L.Brown 4E
MCSRV C26 1.65a 139.8a 14.9de 5.633a 76a L.Brown 4E
MCSRV A3 1.58ab 141a 13.8e 3.05a 74a White 6
MCSRV C1 1.58ab 116.8a 26.47a 4.133a 65c White 4E
MCSRV MR732 1.58ab 118.8a 21.13b 4.7a 76a White 4E
MCSRV T30 1.55ab 83.8b 14.2e 5.33a 74a L.Brown 5
MCSRV E40 0.817b 135.3a 18.9bc 5.2a 72ab Cream 4E
G.Mean 1.385 139.6 19.09 4.045 71
CV % 24 14.9 6.7 18.8 2.2
SED 0.309 15.35 0.983 0.722 1.275

24. Farmers Selection of varieties
Factors influencing farmer’s preference of sorghum lines in western Kenya
Factors Grain Yield Grain Color Grain Size Panicle Size Height of Plant Tolerance to soil Early Maturity Resistance to
acidity bird damage
Yes 87 98 87 86 92 62 80 44
Response
No 14 3 14 15 9 39 21 57
Percentage of farmers gauging the
86.1% 97.0% 86.1% 85.1% 91.1% 61.3 79.2% 43.6%
characteristic as influential

25.  Most farmers from Matayos site (85.7%, 85.7%) and Koyonzo sites ( 80.8%, 72%)
indicated that grain colour and plant height respectively would highly influence
their selection compared to those from Sega (65.2%, 59%) who also shared the
same belief .
Comparison of percentage of farmers by region who scored the
major factors as very highly influential
Factors Grain Color Height of Plant Grain Yield Grain
Size
Sega 65 59 94 88
Site Koyonzo 80.8 72 90.6 89
Matayos 85.7 85.7 93 82
 Concerning preference of various sorghum lines, 6 lines (T53b, C26, Nyadundo
1, Nyadundo 2, N13 and N4) out of fourteen were selected by farmers from the
3 sites.
 The most preferred sorghum line in terms of grain colour was Nyadundo 1(Red)
followed by Nyadundo 2 (Light Red) while the least preferred based on colour
was C26 (Light brown).

26. Table 3: Variety preference matrix based on farmers choice
Factors Grain Height Grain Grain Yield No. of
Color of Plant Size farmers
T53b 4 2 6 4 16
C26 3 3 3 3 12
Sorghum Nyadundo 1 22 18 18 22 80
line Nyadundo 2 19 18 23 19 79
N13 7 5 6 7 25
N4 10 11 11 10 42
No. of farmers 65 57 67 65
 For selection based on plant height, Nyadundo 1 and 2 had similar
preference followed by N4, C26 while T53b had the least preference
implying that farmers in western Kenya prefer short to medium height
sorghum lines (Table 5)
 From this study, it was evident that farmers from all the 3 sites in western
Kenya preferred similar sorghum lines so long as they are Red to light
brown in colour, and short to medium in height

27. CONCLUSIONS
 We have not finalized analyzing the short rains results from
all sites, harvesting is going on other sites
 Majority of the sorghum varieties tested for soil acidity,
drought and striga tolerance outperformed the local checks
used by farmers in these regions.
 Most farmers in western Kenya were unaware of the
negative effects of soil acidity ( low P and high Al ) on
sorghum grain yield
 Farmers choice of varieties was influenced mainly by yield,
seed colour and plant height.
 The new cultivars could increase sorghum productivity in
western Kenya

28. Acknowledgement
• BIO-INNOVATE AND McKNIGHT FOUNDATION
FOR FUNDING THE PROJECT.