KARI raises alarm over lethal maize disease

NAIVASHA, KENYA: The Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI) has raised an alert over re-emergence of the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) in the country.

The research institute is warning that the country's annual maize production could be adversely affected as the disease spreads at an alarming rate.

According to Dr Ann Wangai, the Chief Scientist at KARI, the disease has been recorded in all counties though its intensity was different from one region to another.

Wangai termed the disease as dynamic adding that its intensity differed from one season to another , if not contained might affect food production in 2014.

She noted that KARI was seeking a long term measure to address the disease adding that there were some promising seed varieties which were under test and tolerant to the MLND.

"The biggest challenge we are facing as scientist is that this disease is severe and it's new to us but we have made major strides in addressing it," she said.

This emerged during a two day meeting on MLND in Masada hotel in Naivasha which is seeking ways of addressing the fast-spreading disease.

A plant breeder Dr. David Ndung'u from the International Maize and Wheat improvement center expressed concern over the speed at which the disease was spreading.

Ndung'u was however quick to add that they were currently screening over 19,000 maize seed varieties with a view of getting a resistance one.

On his part, FAO country representative Luca Alinovi said that the United Nations body had contributed USD400,000 towards fighting the disease.

Alinovi said that in conjunction with the Kenyan government, FAO has trained some 320 trainers on the disease who would in turn train 6,400 across the country.

"We are concerned over the manner in which the disease is spreading as the country's economy heavily relies on agriculture," he said.

FAO head of crops and agriculture business Alessio Colussi admitted that the quantity of maize production in the country could be affected by the disease.

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KARI MLND