DOMESTICATION OF INDIGENOUS ORNAMENTALS AND THE CROP PRODUCTION CHALLENGES IN MOBYDICK, ASCLEPIAS SP. IN KENYA

Indigenous ornamental plants are recently gaining acceptance in export markets globally. However, traditional exotic flowers such as Roses form over 70% of the bulk of export volumes in Kenya, while indigenous ornamentals constitute less than 0.1%. To increase the diversity of ornamental exports and remain competitive in the global export market, collection, domestication and development of production packages for indigenous ornamentals is required. Towards this end, a survey was carried out in central Kenya to identify the major constraints in production of Mobydick, an indigenous Asclepias sp ornamental and develop an integrated crop and pest management strategy (ICPM) for the crop. In addition, visits were made in collaboration with the wildlife officers to the Mount Kenya forest, bush lands in central Kenya, Aberdares and Coast Province in search of plants with outstanding ornamental features for possible domestication. The major pests of the Mobydick flower crop recorded were nematodes, Meloidogyne sp., aphids, Aphis gossypii, cotton stainers, Dysdercus sp. and the red spider mites, Tetranychus sp. The most common diseases were stem rot, leaf mosaic symptoms, leaf and boll discoloration disorders whose causes are not yet determined. Soil and nutrient analysis showed that plant nutrition and soil pH had an effect on Mobydick boll discolouration. Solarisation using polythene sheet in nursery crop and use of natural Pyrethroid, Pesthrin® gave good control of nematodes and the foliar pests respectively. The paper discusses the potential ornamentals collected and their quality attributes for successful commercialization.