Malaria risk mapping among children under five in Togo.

Malaria is a major health threat in sub-Sahara Africa, especially for children under five. However, there is considerable heterogeneity between areas in malaria risk reported, associated with environmental and climatic. We used data from Togo to explore spatial patterns of malaria incidence. Geospatial covariate datasets, including climatic and environmental variables from the 2017 Malaria Indicator Survey in Togo, were used for this study. The association between malaria incidence and ecological predictors was assessed using three regression techniques, namely the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), spatial lag model (SLM), and spatial error model (SEM). A total of 171 clusters were included in the survey and provided data on environmental and climate variables. Spatial autocorrelation showed that the distribution of malaria incidence was not random and revealed significant spatial clustering. Mean temperature, precipitation, aridity and proximity to water bodies showed a significant and direct association with malaria incidence rate in the SLM model, which best fitted the data according to AIC. Five malaria incidence hotspots were identified. Malaria incidence is spatially clustered in Togo associated with climatic and environmental factors. The results can contribute to the development of specific malaria control plans taking geographical variation into consideration and targeting transmission hotspots.

Successful grafting elite cocoa clones (Theobroma cacao L.) as a function of the age of rootstock.

Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest cocoa producer, faces numerous challenges because the yield of orchards is low due to several factors including the non-use of improved plant materials. This work is part of ICRAF's Vision for Change (V4C) project, which aimed at contributing to the regeneration of cocoa farms by making effective plant materials available to small cocoa producers. It essentially consisted in evaluating the effect of the age of the rootstock on the success of grafting to obtain a satisfactory quantity of improved plants in the nursery. The study was carried out in Adiopodoumé at the National Agronomic Research Center (CNRA). Ten elite cocoa clones from the "Vision for Change" project were used as scions. Top grafting was performed on seedlings of 2, 3- and 4-months used as rootstocks. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Data collection was focused on the grafting success rate and morphological parameters. The results showed that the grafting success rate is proportional to the rootstock age. Two months after grafting, the success rate was low. This indicates that grafting should eventually start at 3 months. This period could therefore represent a good stage to successfully graft and replant cocoa seedlings.