TECHNICAL MEETING AT MARI

TIM FOLGER INTERVIEW RESEARCH ASSISTANT FROM CASSAVA PROJECT STAFF AT MARI.

Laurensia Mushi a Research Assistant in the Cassava diagnostic project at Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute Lab being interviewed byTim Folger from the National Geographic, USA yesterday.

PROJECT OUTREACHES

The cassava disease diagnostic project team members, recently conducted a series of outreaches and baseline data surveys in different countries with different cassava stakeholders

Dr. Peter Sseruwagi showing farmers how to plant a cassava variety known as Mumba which came from Central Tanzania (Dodoma region).

Outreach Going on!!!!

Dr. Joseph Ndunguru explaining to Upendo group farmers from MKINGA village in Mbinga district how to plant Mumba variety from central Tanzania, also this is a demo sites in Ruvuma region.

Improved cassava clean plant lets known as Mumba from Central Tanzania.

Senior reporter for the Guardian news paper, Gerald Kitabu(left) listening to Dr. Peter SSeruwagi on cassava disease management.

The acting director general of Tanzania official seed certification Institute (TOSCI) Tasiana Maingu (left) showing scientists from MARI, a purity lab at Sokoine University (SUA).

Project team talking to the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture Dr. Solange Uhituze at the University of Rwanda in Butare

Project team members discussing with the Assistant Commisioner Ms Florence Tumuboine of the Plant Health and Seed Certification of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Entebbe, Uganda

Project team members  at cassava processing plant run by Ituze Cooperative in Rwanda in February 2014

 Dr Peter Sseruwagi and Marie Kanyange examining dried cassava at a farmers house in Southern    Rwanda.

Project team members discussing with leaders of a Ituze farmers Cooperative in Rwanda.

Dr Joseph Ndunguru and Marie Kanyange admiring fresh and nice cassava roots at Kinazi Cassava Plant recently in Rwanda.

         Cassava project team members visiting the tissue culture lab at Rubona in Rwanda

           Project team members at Nakasongola District Famers Association in Uganda

Project members at BioCrops Uganda limited, a private tissue culture facility in Uganda

Dr. Joseph Ndunguru and the other project team members talking to a cassava farmer (Justina Ssenku) seriously afftected by cassava brown streak disease in Nakasongola in Uganda

Project team members at KEPHIS in Kenya

Dr. Joseph Ndunguru, Fred Tairo and other project members holding a discussion at BECA, in Nairobi, Kenya

Project team inspecting cassava breeders trial at KARI - MTWAPA in Kenya.The team was hosted by Dr. Theresia Monga.

Dr. Peter Sseruwagi examining virus indexed cassava in a green house at KARI - NJORO in Kenya during a recent visit

CASSAVA PROJECT TEAM LEADERS VISIT TO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION IN ISRAEL

The study tour was conducted on 2nd to 8th Feb 2014 to agricultural laboratories at Gilat research centre, and at the Volcani centre R&D agricultural station and commercial farm, to gain practical experience on establishing and operating virus diagnostics laboratory.

Dr. Leah Tsror head of Gilat research centre explaining to project team about the diagnostics activities carried out by the disease diagnostics lab at Gilat centre.

Dr. Liana (on the right) of Maon enterprises experimental station in Israel explaining to project team on the useful of green house in maintaining virus free plants.

UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM STUDENTS VISIT MARI FOR LEARNING PURPOSES.

On Wednesday 18th Dec, 2013 University of Dar es salaam second year students who specialize in molecular biology and biotechnology course, came to Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute to learn molecular and biotechnology issues and this is one of the activity of phase 2 of this project.The facilitators were Charles Kayuki (Lab Manager), Deogratius Mark (technologist) Happiness Gabriel (Research Assist.). Narvin Tarimo (R.A) and Emmanuel Mrema (R.A)

A group photo for UDSM 2 year Molecular biology and biotechnology students.

Narvin Tarimo not in picture explaining to second year students on how the plants grows in the growth room.

Emmanuel Mrema explaining to 2nd year students the procedure for culturing the plants.

Narvin Tarimo explaining on how to determine the potato plant lets which are ready for sub culturing.

Students listening careful!!!!

Students listening careful to Deogratius Mark as he was explaining the different in Molecular size between different viruses.

THE eBIOKIT BIONFORMATICS WORKSHOP AT MIKOCHENI AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The eBioKit Bioinformatics workshop was held from the 10th to 14th December 2013, at Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI) - Tanzania to strengthen research capacity in Bioinformatics. The training facilitated discussions on applications of bioinformatics tools for diagnostics, pathogen discovery, genome evolution and other applications relevant to improving global health and increasing agricultural productivity.

MARI partnered with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and BecA-ILRI Hub to host this one-week intensive workshop to inspire collaboration between bench scientists and bioinformatics communities through hands-on training in bioinformatics techniques for analysis of sequencing data using the eBioKit package. The eBioKit at MARI was delivered by Professor Erik Bongcam-Rudloff and will be accessible on MARI’s own LAN in the near future for all interested researchers.

e Biokit Bionformatics suite.

Professor Erik Bongcam-Rudloff from Sweden

Professor Erik Bongcam-Rudloff derivering his lecture on the use of the ebiokit 

MARI ATTENDED A 7 TH INTERNATIONAL GEMINIVIRUS SYMPOSIUM IN HANGZHOU CHINA

Mari attended 7th geminiviruses symposium and 5th single stranded DNA workshop in Hangzhou - China, MARI was represented by Dr. Joseph Ndunguru, Dr. Fred Tairo, Dr. Peter Sseruwagi and Doreen Mgonja.

Dr. Joseph Ndunguru listening careful on his right is Dr. Fred Tairo.

Participants listening careful presentation, this was taken during a workshop in Hangzhou - China