Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization

Biotechnology research in Kenya Dr. Eliud Kireger

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Presentation Outline

1. About KALRO

i. Mandate

ii. Directorates

iii.Institutes

iv.Biotechnology research in Kenya

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) was created through the KALR Act of January 2013 and established on 1st July 2014.

The Act merged the former Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Coffee Research Foundation (CRF), Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) and Kenya Sugar Research Foundation Sugar (KESREF). The four institutes form KALRO.

KALRO’s Mandate To promote, streamline, co-ordinate and regulate research in

crops, livestock, genetic resources and biotechnology and animal diseases;

To expedite equitable access to research information, resources and technologies and promote the application of research findings and developed technologies in the field of agriculture. And livestock

KALRO has 2 Research and 1 Corporate Services Directorates, 16 Institutes, 51 Centres & Sub-centres strategically located in the country to enable the organization meet farmers demands throughout Kenya varied agroecological zones.

KALRO’s organizational

structure

Corporate Services Directorate

Overall Objective

To support the research directorates

Crops Research Directorate Programme

Overall Objective

To generate & disseminate knowledge, technologies and innovations for enhanced productivity, value addition, profitability & competitiveness of food, horticultural & industrial crops, tea, coffee and sugar.

Livestock Research Directorate Programme

Overall Objective

To Develop and promote knowledge, information and technologies/innovations that enhance livestock productivity, value addition and product development, and facilitating market access.

KALRO’s Crops Research

Institutes

Coffee Research Institute Mandate

The Institute conducts research in all areas of production, processing and marketing.

Food Crops Research Institute

Mandate

To generate and disseminate food crops' knowledge, innovative technologies and services that respond to clientele demands

Horticulture Research Institute

Mandate

To conduct research in horticultural crops covering vegetables, fruits, flowers and disseminate appropriate information and technologies.

Industrial Crops Research Institute Mandate To generate and disseminate Industrial crops knowledge, innovative technologies and services

Sugar Research Institute Mandate To promote research and investigate all problems related to sugarcane and such other crops, processing into sugar and by-products, and their systems of husbandry, productivity, quality and sustainability of land

Tea Research Institute Mandate

Development of improved clones, appropriate technologies for improvement of yield and quality of tea products.

KALRO’s Livestock Research

Institutes

Beef Research Institute Mandate

Focuses on improving productivity of beef cattle.

Apiculture Research Institute Mandate

The Apiculture Research Institute will address the challenges affecting the Apiculture sub sector and promote value addition along its value chain.

Dairy Research Institute

Mandate

Conduct research on dairy cattle, goats and camels, generate knowledge and develop technologies and disseminate to users.

Non-Ruminant Research Institute

Mandate

To generate non-ruminant knowledge, innovative technologies and disseminate to farmers.

Sheep , Goat and Camel Research Institute

Mandate

To generate and promote technologies and innovations for demand-driven sheep and goat product value chains nationally

Veterinary Research Institute Mandate

Research is geared towards alleviating the impact of livestock diseases to enhance livestock production.

KALRO’s Cross-cutting

Research Institutes

Arid & Range Lands Research Institute Mandate To address challenges in dry lands by developing technologies for re-vegetation and restoration of degraded rangelands and enhance ASAL livestock production and dry land farming.

Biotechnology Research Institute

Mandate

To generate and promote agricultural & livestock biotechnologies and innovations to support the sectors.

Mandate To generate knowledge, technologies and innovations for effective conservation and utilization of plant, animal and microbial genetic resources

Genetic Resource Research Institute

Agricultural Mechanization Research Institute

Mandate

Development of appropriate Agricultural mechanization technologies for improvement of efficiency and in farming.

Machakos

Trans Nzoia

Bungoma

Busia

Kakamega

Nairobi

Kiambu

Kisumu

Kericho

Kisii

Homabay Muranga

Embu

Kirinyaga

Taita Taveta

Garisa

Baringo

Marsabit

KALRO Research Institutes and Centres

Status of Agricultural Biotechnology in Kenya

30 30

Emerging challenges to Agricultural Production that requires Biotechnology approaches

Droughts

Floods

Changes in rainfall patterns

Increased temperatures

Floods

Source - CIMMYT

Climate Change

• Environment degradation

• salinity

• In Kenya five main Biotechnology tools are used

Livestock and crop improvement

1. Tissue Culture

2. Molecular Markers- assisted breeding

3. Development of Genetically Modified Crops

4. Plant and animal disease diagnostics

5. Development of livestock diseases recombinant

vaccines

Examples of Modern Biotechnology in Kenya

Tissue Culture (TC)

Main application for TC has been micro-propagation of clean planting materials of vegetatively propagated crops for farmers

•TC started in Kenya in the early 80s for mass propagation of pyrethrum

•Tissue Culture Banana – Has been seen as a major biotechnology success story

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Tissue culture and its application in

mass propagation of improved crops

Tissue culture bananas

Other tissue culture crops

Other tissue culture crops

Other tissue culture crops

Molecular Markers Assisted Breeding

• Allows for shortening of the breeding to release new varieties

• Enables breeders to handle difficult crops whose time to maturity may be too long eg. Coconut, cashewnuts, mangoes

• Allows breeders to select for traits that may change with different environments e.g sweet potato flesh colour at different altitudes

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Progress in use of Molecular Marker Assisted

Breeding

Characterization and mapping

of Maize Streak Virus and Grey

Leaf Spot resistance genes in

maize

Development of drought

tolerant maize and wheat

varieties

Development of Russian

Wheat Aphid resistant wheat

lines

Fingerprinting of maize land

races

Diversity Studies on

Sweetpotato, Cassava,

Dolichos and Aloe vera

Characterization of

Indigenous breeds of

cattle poultry, forages

and tsetse population

genetics

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Development of GM crops in Kenya

Crop Status

Cotton CFT

Maize CFT

Cassava CFT

Sorghum CFT

Gypsophila CFT

Sweetpotato CFT Approved

Groundnuts Lab/Green house

Pigeon pea Lab/Greenhouse

Rice Lab/Greenhouse

Banana Lab/Greenhouse

Rice Lab/Greenhouse

Progress on Bt Maize research Location of Biotech Crops CFTs in Kenya

WESTERN KENYA (Busia)

Virus Resistant Cassava

(VIRCA) – KALRO Alupe

CENTRAL KENYA

Bt cotton - KALRO Mwea

Research Centre

NAIROBI

Drought Tolerant Maize

Sweet Potato Action for Security and

Health in Africa (SASHA)

Improved Maize for African Soils

(IMAS) – KALRO Biotechnology Center

LOWER EASTERN

KENYA KALRO Kiboko

Research Centre

Water Efficient Maize for Africa

(WEMA), Africa Biofortified

Sorghum (ABS) and Insect

Resistant Maize COAST REGION

Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) –

KALRO Mtwapa Research Centre Developed by ISAAA AfriCenter, February 2013

Progress on Bt Maize research

• We are currently doing a Stack event that contains both Insect resistance and drought tolerance traits

• CFT planting at Kitale carried out on 26th Apr., 2016 and at Kiboko carried out on 6th May, 2016

Progress on Bt Maize research

• Why Kiboko? – To generate field data on resistance to Spotted stemborer (Chilo partellus)

Progress on Bt Maize research

• Why Kitale? – To generate field data on African stemborer, (Busseola fusca)

Stack maize testing CFT I, KALRO Kitale

Leaf damage on stack event MON810XMON87460 and Non-Transgenic isolines

maize plants after infestation with Busseola fusca stem borer

Transgenic maize Non-Transgenic maize

Progress on Bt Maize research

• KALRO and AATF received approval from NBA to carry out Bt (MON810) maize testing under the National Performance Trials (NPT) in early April, 2016

• EIA/EISA project report generated by NEMA accredited Experts working with KALRO and AATF scientists and submitted to NEMA

Progress on Bt Maize research

• 6 KEPHIS designated sites are under development (Embu, Mwea, Thika, Kibos, Kakamega, and Alupe) were selected for testing

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Other areas of Biotechnology application in Kenya’s Crop agriculture

49 Drought

Pests

Maize Lethal

Necrosis Disease Cassava:

cyanide; viruses

Crop Diseases

& pests

Crop improvement

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Biotechnology and its application in Kenya: Animal Production – Embryo Transfer (ET)

Tool for rapid multiplication of animal germplasm with desired genetic traits

Disease tolerant breeds

Dairy breeds for milk production

KALRO & ADC ET laboratories

equipped & operational; Training on-

going; Private Dairy Farms using ET

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Microscopy;

low sensitivity

Enzyme-Linked

Immunosorbent

Assays (ELISA);

results in 2-4 hours

Capri test kit: Rapid

Diagnostic Test for CCPP

(2-3 minutes)

Animal Health: Disease Diagnosis

Biotechnology presents opportunity to

develop Rapid Diagnostic Tests for disease

diagnosis using genomic approaches

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Biotechnology in Animal Nutrition

Improvement of Pastures / fodder

Opuntia high in nutrients, therefore, alternative livestock feed in ASALs

Way forward for successful biotechnology application in Kenya

Research Infrastructure

Human capacity (balance of appropriate skills and numbers)

Financial resource

Regulatory systems

Political goodwill

Strong policy/legal framework

Enhance effective partnerships along agricultural product value chains

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Acknowledgements National Institutions: NBA, KEPHIS, NEMA, DVS, KEBS, Universities, Others International Centres: CIMMYT, ISAAA, NEPAD/ABNE, PBS, AATF, OFAB, ABSF, Africa Harvest, Others Donor Community – BMGF, HBF, USAID, McKnight Foundation, Others

Thank You & God Bless You

Demand driven research for food security and income generation

Demand driven research for food security and income

generation