Elucidating leafhopper-vectored transmission of Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum in enset in Ethiopia

Details

 PROJECT SUMMARY

Project name

Elucidating leafhopper-vectored transmission of Xanthomonas vasicola pv.
musacearum in enset in Ethiopia

Project short-name

BVI_ENSET

AMU project code

EXT/ITA/VPRP/17/2016

Project phase

I

Partner(s)/ country(ies)

Bioversity International (Italy)

AMU coordinating office(s)

Executive Research Directorate

Project type

Research

Project location

Gamo Highlands, South Ethiopia

Target communities

Enset and banana growing communities

Project coordinator

Tesfaye Habtemariam (PhD)

Project manager

Sabura Shara (PhD)

Principal investigator

Dr. Sabura Shara

Co-investigators

Dr. Gezahegn Garo (AMU), Dr. Guy Blomme (BVI)

Total project budget ( )

5,008

Project start

15-Aug-23

Project end

15-Jan-24

Financial reporting period

Annually

Project finaince management office

  

Progress reporting period

Annually

Contact person

Dr. Sabura Shara (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Project Management Office

Office of the Director for Grant and Collaborative Project Management:
Dr. Thomas Torora (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Both Enset and banana in the Musaceae family are affected by a problematic disease bacterial Xanthomonas wilt (BXW), the impact of which on small-scale farmer livelihoods is significant. Although leafhoppers are known vectors of phytopathogenic bacteria and viruses in other crops, insect vector-mediated transmission of BXW in Enset remained unconfirmed hypothesis. This project aims at determining any potential role of the leafhoppers in the local spread of BXW pathogen in enset fields and plantations. More specifically, the project is planned to (i) carry out mosquito net trial in a screenhouse with artificial inoculation of EBW pathogen and feeding leafhoppers at Tegecha village of Chencha district and (ii) conduct a two-season field surveys on leafhopper ecology and abundance at Chencha and Gerese catchments of the Gamo Highlands. The findings of this research will contribute to reducing BXW spread in Enset through controlling leafhopper populations, if leafhoppers would vector BXW.