TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE AT NARO'S INSTITUTES

Technologies at SAARI

1. Improved and High Yielding Crop Varieties

1. Finger millet: High yielding varieties with good food and brewing qualities include:
   
   1. Pese 1, Seremi-1 and Seremi-3. These are brown seeded varieties, yielding between 2,300 - 2,800 kg per hectare and mature at between 100 - 110 days. They are suitable for most mid - altitude areas of Uganda. These yields represent over a two fold increase over local cultivars.
      
   2. Seremi-2 has been developed for areas with erratic or short duration rainfall, such as parts of Karamoja, Teso and northern Uganda. It matures in 85 - 90 days and yields up to 2000 kg/ha and can be grown in the second rains in most finger millet producing areas.
2. Sorghum:
   
   1. Epuripur, a white seeded sorghum variety suitable for milling and baking, has been developed for improved processing and diversified utilization of sorghum in the food industry. It has good potential in raising household income of sorghum farmers. It matures in about 110 days and yields between 2500 - 3000 kg/ha.
      
   2. Sekedo is a brown seeded variety, which has been developed to improve on household food security in dry areas of Uganda. It has also good brewing qualities and could be used in beer brewing industry. It can yield up to 3500 kg/ha under average management or higher under good management.
3. Groundnuts:
   
   1. Igola-1 and Serenut -2 yielding up to 3000 kg/ha compared to 800 kg/ha of local varieties have been developed for the domestic market. Both are resistant to rosette, a destructive groundnut disease, and are tolerant to drought. They are suitable for low level management and cost of production.
      
   2. Serenut 1 - R is red seeded has been developed for mainly the confectionery and export markets. It has an oil content of 41.9% which is considered desirable. It requires a higher level of management as it is susceptible to rosette.
4. Simsim:
   Sesi -1 is a white seeded variety with good export potential, has been developed. This yields between 800 - 1000 kg/ha, compared to 300 - 400 kg/ha for local varieties.
5. Pigeon peas: New varieties mature in less than half the period of local ones.
   
   1. Sepi-1 matures in 120 - 140 days and yields up to 1,300 kg/ha compared to 400 kg/ha for local cultivars.
      
   2. Sepi-2 maturing within 110 - 120 days has been developed for consumers who desire uniform cream coloured seed. It yields up to 1,500 kg/ha and is excellent for export.
6. Cotton: The latest improved variety BPA 2000, will be going to segregated cotton production areas of Uganda for commercial seed production in 2001. It is capable of yields of up to 3000 kg/ha. This variety has several attributes including a high ginning out turn (GOT) of 39% desired by ginners and has a staple length of over 33 mm, making it an extremely superior variety.

   Recommendations for management to exploit the production potential of these improved varieties have been developed. These include appropriate planting dates and plant populations, crop and soil management and pest and disease management strategies.

2. Improved Livestock and Poultry Breeds

1. Cattle: Early generation improved traction animals for ploughing will shortly be available for farmers. These are from cross breeding of Sahiwal bulls with indigenous small East African Zebu breed. They grow faster, are heavier and stronger than the local ones and are suitable for ploughing larger areas in shorter time periods.
2. Chicken: Chicken that have been developed from crossing local chicken and Arbor-acres exotic birds produce 3 - 4 times more eggs than local birds and weigh twice as heavy, attaining a weight of 2.5 - 3.0 kg in 18 - 22 weeks.

3. Machinery and Equipment Development

These have been developed to reduce drudgery and increase efficiency.

1. The "SAARI" plough, is a versatile and light plough suitable to be pulled only by two oxen. It can also be easily converted into a tool bar for attachment to accessories such as weeders.
   
2. The "SAARI" weeder is designed to be attached to the "SAARI" plough. Recent final tests by farmers in their own fields show that the SAARI weeder can reduce labour requirement for row planted crops by up to 80%.

Contact us at:
Serere Agricultural and Animal Production Research Institute (SAARI)
P.O BOX Soroti, Uganda
Tel: 256-45-61192
Fax: 256- 45-61444
E-mail: saaridir@infocom.co.ug