Hannah Karuri
Country (Nationality)
Kenya
Grantee Title
Area of research: Nematology/Biotechnology.
Grantee Description
Home Institution: Embu University College
Host institution: University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Area of research: Nematology/Biotechnology.
Research focus: Sweet potato is an important food crop consumed throughout Africa. However, yields are reduced by commonly occurring root knot nematodes (RKN). In addition, the presence of other parasitic nematodes influences RKN population dynamics and increases the damage that they cause. Climate change may cause an increase in abundance of parasitic nematodes including RKN. The research selects RKN resistant sweet potato genotypes and determines the effect of climate on distribution and abundance of parasitic nematodes associated with Kenyan sweet potato. The research will provide information that will be important in mitigating the effects of climate change on sweet potato production.