A new method to manage the Maize Lethal Necrosis disease will be rolled out by Bayer East Africa Company (BEAC) ahead of next year’s planting season.
The method has been developed by BEAC agronomists and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute ( Kari) to manage the disease that has affected maize production in the country.
BEAC head of Crop Science, Gikunda Iracha said the method will first be launched in Trans-Nzoia and Uasin Gishu counties and later extended to other maize growing areas in Kenya.
FARMERS’ TRAINING
Mr Iracha said farmers will be trained on pre-plant and post-harvest conditions.
“We shall train farmers on how best to manage the Maize Lethal Necrosis disease as we gear for next year’s planting season,’’ he noted.
According to Iracha farmers should plant seeds treated with Gaucho chemicals and spray the young crop with another chemical known as Thunder Nativo.
Production of maize as a staple food in Kenya has reduced considerably following the emergence of the disease five years ago, prompting scientists to look for a solution.
Early this year, Kari, Ministry of Agriculture and Kenya Seed Company advised farmers to rotate their crop or leave their farms fallow for some time to suppress the disease but the method has not worked for lack of a suitable crop to replace maize as a staple food.
Source - http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/
