I have 15 years of experience in academia - all of which have been at Makerere University. At Makerere University, I have taught various undergraduate and graduate courses
Cowpea is a grain legume that is commonly grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for a variety of uses... more Cowpea is a grain legume that is commonly grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for a variety of uses including food, feed, and soil fertility enhancement through nitrogen fixation. Genetic improvement in cowpea can be accomplished by creating breeding populations from high-performing but genetically diverse parental lines. The goal of this study was to use single nucleotide polymorphic markers (SNPs) to estimate genetic diversity and population stratification among cowpea parental genotypes from five countries. A total of 2,746 SNP markers were used to analyze 62 cowpea genotypes that differed in key characteristics. Only 55% of the SNP markers were polymorphic across the 62 genotypes and met the selection requirement. The gene diversity varied from 0.52 to 0.57 with an average of 0.55, while the polymorphic information content ranged from 0.46 to 0.51 with an average of 0.49, showing that the cowpea parental lines are genetically diverse. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) fou...
Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree crop because of its oil used for cooki... more Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree crop because of its oil used for cooking and industrial manufacture of cosmetics. Despite its many benefits, quantitative trait loci linked to the economic traits have not yet been studied. In this study, we performed association mapping on a panel of 374 shea tree accessions using 7,530 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers for oil yield and seed related traits. Twenty three markers that were significantly (–log10 (p) = 4.87) associated to kernel oil content, kernel length; width and weight were identified. The kernel dry matter oil content and kernel width had the most significant Marker Trait Association (MTA) on chromosomes 1 and 8 respectively. Sixteen candidate genes that condition early induction of flower buds and somatic embryos, seed growth and development, substrate binding, transport, lipid biosynthesis, metabolic processes during seed germination and disease resistance and abiotic stress adaptation were...
All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you... more All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.
Résumé Research Application Summary Exploiting genome synteny in breeding for Protein Quality and... more Résumé Research Application Summary Exploiting genome synteny in breeding for Protein Quality and Waxiness in
Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) remains a relatively untapped food legume crop in Uganda and in many p... more Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) remains a relatively untapped food legume crop in Uganda and in many parts of Africa mainly due to lack of promotion and availability of varieties that meet producer and consumers needs. The crop is a rich source of protein, fixes nitrogen in the soil and is tolerant to drought conditions. This makes it an ideal crop for the semi-arid areas of Africa. This project is using a participatory breeding approach to develop and promote consumer/market preferred pigeon pea varieties resistant to Fusarium wilt disease (Fusarium udum) and drought among farmers in northern Uganda. To do this, a collection of landraces and elite materials from Uganda, Malawi and ICRISAT is being screened for farmer desired qualities. Promising lines will be analyzed for performance under Fusarium wilt infection and drought, and thereafter selected lines will be entered into a breeding program. All research activities have been designed as part of two students' M.Sc. thesis researc...
The rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) is a serious constraint to rice production in many rice produ... more The rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) is a serious constraint to rice production in many rice producing countries including Uganda. Yield losses of up to 100% are attributed to the blast disease in different rice growing regions. In addition to these, the inheritance of resistance to the disease has not yet been studied under Ugandan condition. Experiment was conducted under controlled conditions by using three resistant and four susceptible elite genotypes as parental lines for population development in half dialled mating design with the aim of providing relevant genetic information as a contribution towards the development of rice varieties with resistance to blast disease. A total of 18 crosses were advanced to F2 level. The F2 segregates and their corresponding parents were evaluated in the screen house against single virulent isolate of rice blast pathogen in 4 by 7 alpha lattice design in three replications. These results showed that there was significant variation for rice bla...
Low yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are attributed to several factors but diseases represent one... more Low yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are attributed to several factors but diseases represent one of the main constraints. The Brown spot disease (caused by Bipolaris oryzae (Breda de Haan) Shoem) in most cases causes considerable losses in rice growing areas. These yield loses could be averted through development and deployment of resistant varieties. In this study, a field experiment was conducted at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) – Namulonge, Uganda during 2013 with the objective of identifying new sources of resistance to brown spot disease. Among the 100 tested rice lines, 18 lines were rated as highly resistant, 52 resistant, 27 moderately resistant and three lines including the checks were susceptible. The results revealed that there was significant variation in brown spot resistance among the genotypes tested. The identified resistant lines will be utilized in rice breeding program in Uganda for development of brown spot resistant genotypes.
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield stability of cassava mosaic disease (CM... more This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield stability of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistant breeding populations clones against early drought. Field trials were planted using 200 CMD resistant clones and 7 local landraces in a randomised complete block design with 3 replicates at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) station, Sendusu in Namulonge (Central Uganda) during the second rains of 2006 (2006B) and the first rains of 2007 (2007A). The 2007A crop suffered from drought stress in the first 4 months after planting (MAP). Data were taken on the leaf lobe length and width at 6 MAP and plant height at 12 MAP. Harvest was done at 12 MAP during which the number of storage roots per plant and storage root yield were recorded. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test to compare crop performance between the 2 seasons. The 2006B crop had significantly (P<0.01) longer leaf lobes, taller plant heights, higher number of storage roots per pla...
During the period 2002-10, FAO undertook an intense activity of biosafety capacity development, l... more During the period 2002-10, FAO undertook an intense activity of biosafety capacity development, largely centred on enhancing the capacities of regulators and other technical staff involved in the implementation of biosafety frameworks, along with other components. The training programme was tailored to meet the needs of a very specific audience: biosafety regulators, policy-makers and members of national biosafety committees, with diverse educational backgrounds, not necessarily well versed in all the biosafety-related fields. The training courses therefore aimed to: i) offer background knowledge critical in the process of reviewing biosafety dossiers and biosafety-related decision-making ; ii) provide acquaintance with concepts and methodologies relevant to risk analysis of genetically modified organism (GMO) release and biosafety management. The training programme consisted of the following modules: Module A: Introduction to molecular biology and genetic engineering. This reviews ...
Rice blast disease remains the most important contributor to low and stagnated rice yields in Uga... more Rice blast disease remains the most important contributor to low and stagnated rice yields in Uganda. However, the role of the smallholder farming system in shaping the prevalence of the disease in the country is not known. In 2015B and 2016A, we surveyed smallholder rice farmlands in 27 districts of Uganda and recorded blast incidence, severity, and symptoms expression. Infected rice samples taken from the infected plants were sub-cultured on PDA media to confirm the pathogen and obtain isolates for the establishment of a core collection for breeding work. Rice blast prevalence in the districts varied from 50-100% and the national average stood at 72.61%, higher than that recorded five years ago. Mean incidence and severity varied significantly (< 0.001) with the highest incidence (96.8%) recorded in Luwero district and the least (21.3%) was recorded in the Amuru district. However, the eastern region recorded the highest average incidence (74.5%) followed by the central, the nor...
Cowpea is a grain legume that is commonly grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for a variety of uses... more Cowpea is a grain legume that is commonly grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for a variety of uses including food, feed, and soil fertility enhancement through nitrogen fixation. Genetic improvement in cowpea can be accomplished by creating breeding populations from high-performing but genetically diverse parental lines. The goal of this study was to use single nucleotide polymorphic markers (SNPs) to estimate genetic diversity and population stratification among cowpea parental genotypes from five countries. A total of 2,746 SNP markers were used to analyze 62 cowpea genotypes that differed in key characteristics. Only 55% of the SNP markers were polymorphic across the 62 genotypes and met the selection requirement. The gene diversity varied from 0.52 to 0.57 with an average of 0.55, while the polymorphic information content ranged from 0.46 to 0.51 with an average of 0.49, showing that the cowpea parental lines are genetically diverse. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) fou...
Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree crop because of its oil used for cooki... more Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree crop because of its oil used for cooking and industrial manufacture of cosmetics. Despite its many benefits, quantitative trait loci linked to the economic traits have not yet been studied. In this study, we performed association mapping on a panel of 374 shea tree accessions using 7,530 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers for oil yield and seed related traits. Twenty three markers that were significantly (–log10 (p) = 4.87) associated to kernel oil content, kernel length; width and weight were identified. The kernel dry matter oil content and kernel width had the most significant Marker Trait Association (MTA) on chromosomes 1 and 8 respectively. Sixteen candidate genes that condition early induction of flower buds and somatic embryos, seed growth and development, substrate binding, transport, lipid biosynthesis, metabolic processes during seed germination and disease resistance and abiotic stress adaptation were...
All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you... more All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.
Résumé Research Application Summary Exploiting genome synteny in breeding for Protein Quality and... more Résumé Research Application Summary Exploiting genome synteny in breeding for Protein Quality and Waxiness in
Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) remains a relatively untapped food legume crop in Uganda and in many p... more Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) remains a relatively untapped food legume crop in Uganda and in many parts of Africa mainly due to lack of promotion and availability of varieties that meet producer and consumers needs. The crop is a rich source of protein, fixes nitrogen in the soil and is tolerant to drought conditions. This makes it an ideal crop for the semi-arid areas of Africa. This project is using a participatory breeding approach to develop and promote consumer/market preferred pigeon pea varieties resistant to Fusarium wilt disease (Fusarium udum) and drought among farmers in northern Uganda. To do this, a collection of landraces and elite materials from Uganda, Malawi and ICRISAT is being screened for farmer desired qualities. Promising lines will be analyzed for performance under Fusarium wilt infection and drought, and thereafter selected lines will be entered into a breeding program. All research activities have been designed as part of two students' M.Sc. thesis researc...
The rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) is a serious constraint to rice production in many rice produ... more The rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) is a serious constraint to rice production in many rice producing countries including Uganda. Yield losses of up to 100% are attributed to the blast disease in different rice growing regions. In addition to these, the inheritance of resistance to the disease has not yet been studied under Ugandan condition. Experiment was conducted under controlled conditions by using three resistant and four susceptible elite genotypes as parental lines for population development in half dialled mating design with the aim of providing relevant genetic information as a contribution towards the development of rice varieties with resistance to blast disease. A total of 18 crosses were advanced to F2 level. The F2 segregates and their corresponding parents were evaluated in the screen house against single virulent isolate of rice blast pathogen in 4 by 7 alpha lattice design in three replications. These results showed that there was significant variation for rice bla...
Low yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are attributed to several factors but diseases represent one... more Low yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are attributed to several factors but diseases represent one of the main constraints. The Brown spot disease (caused by Bipolaris oryzae (Breda de Haan) Shoem) in most cases causes considerable losses in rice growing areas. These yield loses could be averted through development and deployment of resistant varieties. In this study, a field experiment was conducted at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) – Namulonge, Uganda during 2013 with the objective of identifying new sources of resistance to brown spot disease. Among the 100 tested rice lines, 18 lines were rated as highly resistant, 52 resistant, 27 moderately resistant and three lines including the checks were susceptible. The results revealed that there was significant variation in brown spot resistance among the genotypes tested. The identified resistant lines will be utilized in rice breeding program in Uganda for development of brown spot resistant genotypes.
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield stability of cassava mosaic disease (CM... more This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield stability of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistant breeding populations clones against early drought. Field trials were planted using 200 CMD resistant clones and 7 local landraces in a randomised complete block design with 3 replicates at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) station, Sendusu in Namulonge (Central Uganda) during the second rains of 2006 (2006B) and the first rains of 2007 (2007A). The 2007A crop suffered from drought stress in the first 4 months after planting (MAP). Data were taken on the leaf lobe length and width at 6 MAP and plant height at 12 MAP. Harvest was done at 12 MAP during which the number of storage roots per plant and storage root yield were recorded. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test to compare crop performance between the 2 seasons. The 2006B crop had significantly (P<0.01) longer leaf lobes, taller plant heights, higher number of storage roots per pla...
During the period 2002-10, FAO undertook an intense activity of biosafety capacity development, l... more During the period 2002-10, FAO undertook an intense activity of biosafety capacity development, largely centred on enhancing the capacities of regulators and other technical staff involved in the implementation of biosafety frameworks, along with other components. The training programme was tailored to meet the needs of a very specific audience: biosafety regulators, policy-makers and members of national biosafety committees, with diverse educational backgrounds, not necessarily well versed in all the biosafety-related fields. The training courses therefore aimed to: i) offer background knowledge critical in the process of reviewing biosafety dossiers and biosafety-related decision-making ; ii) provide acquaintance with concepts and methodologies relevant to risk analysis of genetically modified organism (GMO) release and biosafety management. The training programme consisted of the following modules: Module A: Introduction to molecular biology and genetic engineering. This reviews ...
Rice blast disease remains the most important contributor to low and stagnated rice yields in Uga... more Rice blast disease remains the most important contributor to low and stagnated rice yields in Uganda. However, the role of the smallholder farming system in shaping the prevalence of the disease in the country is not known. In 2015B and 2016A, we surveyed smallholder rice farmlands in 27 districts of Uganda and recorded blast incidence, severity, and symptoms expression. Infected rice samples taken from the infected plants were sub-cultured on PDA media to confirm the pathogen and obtain isolates for the establishment of a core collection for breeding work. Rice blast prevalence in the districts varied from 50-100% and the national average stood at 72.61%, higher than that recorded five years ago. Mean incidence and severity varied significantly (< 0.001) with the highest incidence (96.8%) recorded in Luwero district and the least (21.3%) was recorded in the Amuru district. However, the eastern region recorded the highest average incidence (74.5%) followed by the central, the nor...
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Papers by Richard Edema