title: Agricultural nematology in East and Southern Africa: problems, management strategies and stakeholder linkages.
abstract: By 2050, Africa's population is projected to exceed 2 billion. Africa will have to increase food production more than 50% in the coming 50 years to meet the nutritional requirements of its growing population. Nowhere is the need to increase agricultural productivity more pertinent than in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is currently static or declining. Optimal pest management will be essential, because intensification of any system creates heightened selection pressures for pests. Plant-parasitic nematodes and their damage potential are intertwined with intensified systems and can be an indicator of unsustainable practices. As soil pests, nematodes are commonly overlooked or misdiagnosed, particularly where appropriate expertise and knowledge transfer systems are meager or inadequately funded. Nematode damage to roots results in less efficient root systems that are less able to access nutrients and water, which can produce symptoms typical of water or nutrient deficiency, leading to misdiagnosis of the underlying cause. Damage in subsistence agriculture is exacerbated by growing crops on degraded soils and in areas of low water retention where strong root growth is vital. This review focuses on the current knowledge of economically important nematode pests affecting key crops, nematode control methods and the research and development needs for sustainable management, stakeholder involvement and capacity building in the context of crop security in East and Southern Africa, especially Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
authors: Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Makerere University, Uganda.
authors: Herbert
authors: H
authors: Talwana
authors: Goldengro Pvt Ltd, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors: Zibusiso
authors: Z
authors: Sibanda
authors: Agricultural Science and Technology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors: Waceke
authors: W
authors: Wanjohi
authors: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors: Wangai
authors: W
authors: Kimenju
authors: Sugar Cane Research Institute, Kibaha, Tanzania.
authors: Nessie
authors: N
authors: Luambano-Nyoni
authors: Tengeru Horticultural Research Institute, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors: Cornel
authors: C
authors: Massawe
authors: Department of AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK.
authors: Rosa H
authors: RH
authors: Manzanilla-López
authors: Department of AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK.|School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts, UK.
authors: Keith G
authors: KG
authors: Davies
authors: CABI Europe-UK, Egham, Surrey, UK.
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Hunt
authors: INRES-Phytomedizin, Bonn, Germany.
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Sikora
authors: IITA-Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors: Danny L
authors: DL
authors: Coyne
authors: School of Agriculture and Policy Development, University of Reading, Reading, Berks, UK.
authors: Simon R
authors: SR
authors: Gowen
authors: Department of AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK.
authors: Brian R
authors: BR
authors: Kerry
mesh_terms: D000351:Africa, Eastern; D000353:Africa, Southern; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000469:parasitology*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Africa; agricultural nematology; capacity building; development needs; food security; pest management