East
Africa and mainly the Great Lakes region are among the most vulnerable regions
to climate change in Africa. Studies indicate that climatic change will induce
increasing temperature and declining rainfall in East Africa with frequent
periods of drought which may intensify crop disease occurrence and severity.
Also by impacting on both pests and host plants, climate change may enable some
pests and diseases to expand beyond their current locations.
A
project on “Mitigating climate change impact on rice disease resistance in East
Africa,” was launched in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, 1-2 Jun 2010 to help address
the urgent demand for climate-proof disease-resistant rice varieties and help
adapt crop management practices to climate change, thus greatly reducing farmer
risk.
Research
results are expected to lead to the development of rice varieties resistant to
strains of blast and bacterial leaf blight in the region and of rice management
practices adapted to climate change. Breeders will directly benefit because of
greatly improved knowledge of pathogen strains and related rice resistance
genes and alleles.
Results
will be used to determine the likely impact of climate change on rice disease
occurrence and severity, develop recommendations for farmers to adapt crop
management practices reducing the risk of disease related yield loss, and guide
breeders in development of climate proof, disease resistant rice varieties for
different rice production situations.
