University
Makerere University
Area of Focus
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Education
Velma Okaron is a Ph.D. candidate in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology at Makerere University, Uganda. She holds an MSc in Plant Genetics as well as a BSc in Botany from the University of Eldoret, Kenya. Velma’s primary research interests are in the areas of molecular breeding, genomics, and gene mapping. Velma has worked as a research assistant at ICRISAT, Nairobi, in a HOPE II project that seeks to improve the lives of smallholder farmers in the semi-arid tropics of Africa through enhanced dryland cereals productivity and production.
Research & Work
Velma’s research focuses on the genetics of resistance to leaf spots in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in Eastern and Southern Africa. Groundnut is an important global oilseed crop and a major source of protein and vitamins in many rural areas of Africa. The production of groundnut is constrained by several factors, among which Early Leaf Spot (ELS) Cercospora arachidicola and Late Leaf Spot (LLS) Phaeoisariopsis personata are the most significant groundnut fungal diseases causing yield losses of more than 50% in susceptible cultivars. Identification of leaf spot resistant lines will support the efficient development of improved varieties and management of leaf spot diseases of groundnut, which, consequently, will significantly contribute to a targeted reduction in yield losses and increased farmer income from groundnut production.
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