Development of a low cost and energy efficient tobacco curing barn in Zimbabwe
August 2017
Most of the tobacco in Zimbabwe are grown by small scale tobacco growers who rely on wood-fuelled inefficient conventional barns with fuel wood requirements as high as 14 kg wood to one kilogram of cured tobacco leaf. This level of fuel wood use is not sustainable as it results in massive tobacco-curing related deforestation. The main objective of this study was therefore to design an energy efficient barn (Kutsaga...
Effect of cutting time on agronomic and nutritional characteristics of nine commercial cultivars of Brachiaria grass compared with Napier grass during establishment under semi-arid conditions in Rwanda
August 2017
A study was conducted to identify the most productive cultivars and their cutting management to optimize nutrient productivity in semi-arid areas of Rwanda. Four cultivars of Brachiaria brizantha (Piatá, MG4, Marandú and Xaraes), two cultivars of Brachiaria humidicola (Llanero and Humidicola), two cultivars of Brachiaria hybrid (Mulato and Mulato II) and one cultivar of Brachiaria decumbens (Basilisk) were...
Farmers’ perception of agromorphological traits and uses of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) grown in Ethiopia
August 2017
Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) is one of the tuberous root crops in the Araceae family that has been grown in Ethiopia. It has spread widely and has become an important part of the agriculture and food systems of indigenous communities in southern and southwestern Ethiopia. However, less research attention has been given to cocoyam. It is a neglected/underutilized or ignored crop. A survey was...
Performance of intraspecific hybrids (Kouillou x Robusta) of Coffea canephora Pierre
August 2017
The experiment was carried out in 2005 in the municipality of Ouro Preto do Oeste at the experimental station of Embrapa Rondônia. 256 genotypes were evaluated, from nine hybridizations among parents of Kouillou (Cpafro 121, Cpafro 194, Cpafro 199 and Emcapa 03) and Robusta (Robusta 1675, Robusta 2258 and Robusta 640). The experimental design was a randomized complete block design, where each cross was represented...
Influence of boll sampling method and water stress on fiber quality of irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
August 2017
The quality of cotton fibers in Brazil has been studied. This was done by studying the fiber samples obtained from bolls removed from the middle third of the plants. These fiber samples are referred to as “standard sample”. This way to collect fiber data requires lots of labor, and may disguise the results obtained in experimental appraisals, due to human errors in gathering boll. Besides, cotton yield and...
Agronomic practices and causes of decline in trifoliate yam (Dioscorea dumentorum Kunth Pax) production in Enugu State, Nigeria
August 2017
Trifoliate yam is a species of yam with limited documented research and information on its production and importance in spite of its high yielding quality, nutritional, medicinal and industrial uses. This study was therefore carried out to describe agronomic practices, production trend and causes of decline in trifoliate yam production in Enugu state, Nigeria. Three agricultural zones, six blocks, eighteen circles and...
Sample size for evaluation of eggplant and gilo seedlings
August 2017
In horticultural nurseries, it is important to determine the number of plants to be evaluated to obtain reliable inferences about seedling growth. The objective of this study was to determine the sample size required to estimate the mean of quality traits of eggplant and gilo seedlings. The seedlings of both vegetables were produced in expanded polystyrene trays using (8×16) 128 cells each and 40 cm3 high. At 45...
Effect of seeds pretreatment and storage on improvement of the germination and emergence of Anthyllis cytisoïdes L.
August 2017
Anthyllis cytisoïdes L. is a species of shrubby legume that is a member of the Fabaceae family and grows in zones located along the coast, near the Mediterranean Sea. This shrubby forage species is considered a good aliment source for some ruminants. Pretreatment seeds germination and their viability after storage for long periods of time were tested. Pretreatment conditions were as follows: (T1) seeds were soaked...
Effect of row spatial arrangements on agromorphological responses of maize (Zea mays L.) and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] in an intercropping system in Southern Cote d'Ivoire
August 2017
Field trials were conducted at the University Nangui Abrogoua, Abidjan, southern Cote d'Ivoire during the 2015 and 2016 short rainy season to study the performance of maize (Zea mays L.) and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] intercrop as influenced by row arrangement. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five treatments (SM; SC; MC; 1M1C and 2M4C) and three replications was used. SM was sole maize, SC...
Growth and senescence of Urochloa brizantha under Brazilian Cerrado conditions
August 2017
The growth and senescence of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu were analyzed under the Brazilian Cerrado conditions. The seeds were sowed in November at the beginning of the rainy season. Samples of tillers were collected. The culms, inflorescences, along with green and dead leaves were removed to obtain leaf area and dry matter measurements. The maximum leaf area index (LAI = 5.80 m2 m-2) was achieved at 97 days after...
Pollination activity and foraging behavior of local honeybee (Apis mellifera) under open and caged conditions in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
August 2017
Locally there is cultivation of vegetables in greenhouse as a production system; however, it is not common to use honeybee as pollinators. This might be due to a fear of low pollination efficiency or activity of local bees under caged condition. Moreover there is no research related to the foraging behavior of local honeybee under caged condition. Hence, this investigation was designed to study foraging behavior of...
Response of yield and yield components of tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) to different inter and intra-row spacing at Merebleke, Northern Ethiopia
August 2017
A field experiment was conducted at Aksum Agricultural Research Center Merebleke irrigation testing site for two years, 2014 and 2015 cropping calendar under irrigation condition. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Inter and intra-row spacing on growth, Yield and fruit characteristics of Melkashola variety of tomato. The trial was laid out in factorial randomized complete block design in three...
Growth and yield responses of sesame to organic fertilizer under tropical conditions
August 2017
The use of cattle manure and other organic compounds can be a profitable and efficient alternative in sustainable agriculture. The aim of this work was to evaluate the development and production of sesame ‘BRS Seda’ for organic fertilization at different doses, under the conditions of soil and climate found in Catolé do Rocha, in the State of Paraíba, Brazil. The following characteristics were...
Restoring soil fertility in previously sugarcane cropped farms for maize production in Butere- Kakamega County
August 2017
The depletion of fertility in tropical soils of sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is mainly due to continuous cropping without proper nutrient replenishment. This study was intended to find ways of restoring soil fertility towards sustainable maize production in previously sugarcane cropped fields in Butere-Kakamega County. Field experiments were conducted in Butere and Bukura sites located in Kakamega County in the long rains...
The study of entrepreneurial skills required by small scale poultry farmers in Orumba North and South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria
August 2017
The study investigated entrepreneurial skills required by small-scale poultry farmers in Orumba North and South Local Government Area of Anambra State. Four research questions were developed and hypothesis tested at 0.05 level of significance. Twenty nine (29) structured questionnaire items were developed and face validated by three experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach Alpha...
Symbiotic efficiency of pea (Pisum sativum) rhizobia association under field conditions
August 2017
The objective of this study was to evaluate the symbiotic efficiency of rhizobia under field conditions for peas (Pisum sativum L.). Ten treatments were evaluated and divided into eight strains of rhizobia and two uninoculated strains as controls (with and without the addition of mineral N). The variables analyzed were: Nodulation, dry mass of the aerial part, total N of the aerial section, pea production and symbiotic...
Organic matter sources in the composition of pelletized organomineral fertilizers used in sorghum crops
August 2017
Organomineral fertilizers have been used to meet plants’ nutritional needs and reduce producers’ reliance on mineral fertilizers. This study aimed to determine the effect of organic matter sources for organomineral fertilizers and traditional mineral fertilizers to the sorghum initial development. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design in a ‘4 x 3 + 2’ factorial arrangement,...
Soybean yield of degraded pasture after reimplantation with and without phosphating
August 2017
The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different forms of reimplantation of pasture with and without phosphatation aiming to contribute to the increase of soybean yield. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Universidade do Oeste Paulista (Unoeste), located in the municipality of Presidente Bernardes - SP. The design was done with split plot scheme, containing four replicates. The...
Interaction of biological nitrogen fixation and fertilization: Effects on growth and yield of common bean in the dry season
August 2017
The inoculation with Rhizobium together with nitrogen (N) fertilization during sowing can maximize common bean yield cultivated in the rainy season, but this interaction was not studied in the dry season cultivation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and or N fertilization on growth and yield of common bean cultivated in the dry season. Two...
Selenium and agricultural crops
August 2017
Higher plants have different capacities to accumulate and tolerate selenium, referred to as accumulative and non-accumulative plants. Selenium-accumulators plants may contain hundreds of times more selenium than non-accumulators even when grown in the same soil, or can also grow in soils with low and medium selenium reserves; while selenium non-accumulator plants present low accumulation and tolerance to high selenium...
A gender and decent work analysis of cassava production and on-farm processing, in Kuria west sub-county, Kenya
August 2017
In Kenya, cassava (Manihot esculenta) is one of the strategic crops with the ability to withstand adverse climatic conditions. It thrives well in areas with little rainfall such as Kuria west sub-county. It is an important food security crop for resource poor households and has a high potential for value addition. With limited range of crop and livestock farm enterprises that can be raised, cassava production engages...
Implications of tillage practices, management of soil surface and fertilizer application on sustainable dryland agriculture: A case study of Eastern Rwanda
August 2017
Conservation agriculture (CA) is becoming popular in sub-Saharan Africa as potential solution to soil degradation. However, most findings are based on large scale, mechanized agricultural production systems which are not easy to apply within the smallholder farmer’s context. This study assessed the implications of tillage practices, management of soil surface and fertilizer application on sustainable dryland...
Silicon supplements affect yield and fruit quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in net houses
August 2017
Silicon (Si) plays an important role in plant growth and development, but the uptake, accumulation in tissue, and beneficial effects of Si differ greatly between plant species. Net house experiments were conducted with Cucumis sativus L. ‘Shabah F1’ in 2013 and repeated in 2014 to determine the effects of Si supplementation on yield, fruit quality, and chemical composition. Diatomite (86-89% SiO2) was...
Synergy and trade-offs between economic efficiency and environmental effects of alternative land use practices using farm level static bio-economic modelling in Bale Eco-Region
August 2017
In Bale Eco-Region (EBR), production and productivity mainly suffers from fertility deterioration, skyrocketing prices of fertilizer, and unsustainable interactions among different land uses systems. This study was initiated to determine synergy and trade-offs between economic efficiency and environmental effects of alternative land use practices using farm level static bio-economic modelling EBR. Data were collected...
Effect of heat treatment on forage quality of bio-fortified orange fleshed Ipomea batatas crop residues and roots
August 2017
Post-harvest management of sweet potatoes (SP) crop residues preserves nutrients, deactivates inhibitor compounds and improves rumen degradation. The aim of the study was to determine effects of drying crop residues and heating roots on forage value of a bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) variety in South Africa. The crop was harvested at maturity and roots separated from crop residues. Roots were washed,...
Symptomless banana suckers sourced from Xanthomonas wilt infected fields are a viable alternative for seed within infected banana-based landscapes lacking access to clean planting materials.
August 2017
Xanthomonas wilt (XW) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) is an important constraint to banana production in East and Central Africa. The use of clean planting materials (CPM) for establishing new fields/ re-planting rouged fields/mats is recommended. However, banana is mainly produced by resource-poor small-holder households with no/limited access to CPM. We assessed XW incidence in fields planted...
Balance of elements and tolerance of the Terminalia catappa L. to seawater salinity
August 2017
The Terminalia catappa L., popularly referred to as Indian almond, adapts to different soil and climatic conditions. It is a fast growing tree and has been widely used for ornamental and medicinal purposes. This plant might also be used as a carbon sequester in areas subject to soil and water salinity problems. This paper aims at studying the balance of salts among parts of the Indian almond tree under different...
Improving geotechnical properties of a sand-clay soil by cement stabilization for base course in forest roads
July 2017
The study evaluated the chemical stabilization of soils with cement toward application in improving forest roads, as constructive alternative of low cost. The study was carried out with fine soils from the region of Niquelândia-GO, where the sand-clay-silt particle proportion was predominant, and Portland cement CP-II-Z-32 used as a stabilizing agent at 2% under dry soil weight. Geotechnical tests were conducted...
Growth of Jatropha curcas L. plants under salt and nutrition stress
July 2017
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of nutrition and salt stress on the growth and accumulation of mineral elements in Jatropha curcas plants. The work was conducted in greenhouse with 100% solar radiation interception, at Goiás State University, Ipameri Campus, Goiás, Brazil. The experiment was set up in five-liter containers following the completely randomized design in 4 x 2...
Assessment of factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption of mushroom for livelihood diversification in Western Kenya
July 2017
Poverty is a critical issue in developing countries. It has become almost impossible to carry out any profitable agricultural production as a means of livelihood diversification in areas with small land acreage. Therefore, there is need to identify enterprises that can be incorporated into small holder farmers’ production processes. This study assessed the factors that influence small holder farmers’...
Evaluation of suitability of tube well water for irrigation in Maiduguri Metropolitan, Borno State, Nigeria
July 2017
Groundwater contamination is gaining more concerns due to its direct and/or indirect impact on public health. Groundwaters from various sources are commonly used to irrigate vegetables in Maiduguri, Borno State. In this study, the physicochemical qualities of groundwater collected from 20 randomly selected tube wells in Maiduguri were evaluated for their suitability or otherwise for irrigation purposes. Selected wells...
Repeatability analysis on morphological descriptors in the early stages of development
July 2017
The insufficiency of morphological descriptors reveals the importance of studies related to this topic for the genetic improvement of soybean, with attention to the possible descriptors measured in early stages of plant development which allows obtaining fast results. The aim of this work was to estimate the coefficient of repeatability of some morphological descriptors in the early stages of development of...
Assessing the impact of different tillage systems and land uses on CO2-C emissions in Eastern Amazonia
July 2017
The production and emission of CO2 in native, pasture and cultivated areas is a result of microbiological activity and mineralization of organic matter, and depends on favorable environmental factors, such as temperature, availability of water and of land use. The results of this work show that the no tillage system (NT) has the potential to mitigate 37.7% of C-CO2 efflux from cultivation of soy compared to conventional...
Dry matter production, chemical composition and nutrient accumulation in winter crops
July 2017
Some winter crops sown in no-tillage system can represent an important alternative to nutrient cycling. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of dry matter (DM) and accumulation of nutrients for winter cultivation in the West of Paraná. The experimental design was a randomized block, with four treatments and six replications. The treatments were represented by four different winter crops (oat...
Medium-term effects of conservation agriculture on soil quality
July 2017
Inefficient management practices lead to soil organic matter depletion, structure breakdown and increased erosion. This has resulted into low crop yields of sub-Saharan Africa. Conservation agriculture (CA) is being considered as a potential system having the capability of improving soil quality and providing stable yields. A study was therefore conducted, at Chitedze Research Station-Malawi, to evaluate medium term...
Financial profitability and resource use efficiency of boro rice cultivation in some selected area of Bangladesh
July 2017
The paper analysed the profitability and resource use efficiency of boro rice cultivation in Bogra district of Bangladesh using farm level survey data of April-May, 2016. In total 103 farmers were selected randomly from the study area. Result based on Farm Budgeting model showed that per hectare variable cost and total cost of production was BDT (Bangladeshi Taka) 57,583 and BDT 71,208 respectively. Average yield was...
Response of Eleusine indica to herbicides and N fertilizer in dry seeded rice
July 2017
Weed has become one of the most serious problems in dry seeded rice (DSR). To increase the competitiveness with weeds and achieve the optimum growth of rice, weed management in DSR needs an integration of herbicides and optimum nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates. In this study, the bioassay species were treated with a series of pre-emergence (pretilachlor and pendimethalin) and early post-emergence (propanil+thiobencarb)...
Variability evaluation of castor seeds (Ricinus communis) by multivariate analysis of local accessions from Mexico
July 2017
Castor oil is an important raw material used in a diverse range of chemical products with high added value. From a collection of Mexican grown seeds from the castor plant (Ricinus communis), 18 accessions with a high potential for oil production and panicle indehiscent were selected and cultivated. The variability was studied from three aspects: seed yield, seed composition and the oil quality, through 22 descriptors...
Application of sequence specific amplified polymorphism (SSAP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for variability and molecular assisted selection (MAS) studies of the Mexican guava
July 2017
Molecular markers have proven to be powerful tools in research related with diversity, variability, and improvement of economically important tropical crops. This study analyzed eight physiological and morphological fruit characters of economic interest in the cultivated Mexican guava (Psidium guajava L.), and assessed the suitability of two sequence specific amplified polymorphism (SSAP) and simple sequence repeat...
Carcass yield, cuts and body components in lambs fed a pineapple by-product silage diet
July 2017
The effect of pineapple by-product silage as a substitute for elephant grass on carcass yield, commercial cuts and non-carcass components was evaluated in 25 castrated male Santa Inês feedlot finishing lambs. The lambs had an initial body weight of 18.0±3.4 kg, and they were fed four pineapple by-product silage concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) distributed in a completely randomized design with five...
Irrigation water planning for crops in the central highlands of Ethiopia, aided by FAO CROP WAT MODEL
July 2017
Information on crop water requirement of crops is vital for irrigation water planning. In the central parts of Ethiopia, agriculture has solely been dependent on rain-fed until recent time that irrigation for vegetable production is becoming one activity for crop production. However, irrigation practice in terms of the amount of water to be used and frequency of application has lacked proper knowledge. The purpose of...
White clover tolerance to herbicides applied at different rates and phenological stages
July 2017
Glyphosate, 2,4-D, imazethapyr and paraquat + diuron were studied in greenhouse experiments at four application rates in order to evaluate their effects on white clover (Trifolium repens L.) growth and aerial shoot injury at three different phenological stages. Herbicide-induced foliar injury on white clover ranged from no symptoms to early chlorosis, leaf necrosis, stunted growth and death depending on herbicide...
Nutritional valorization of ginger lily fiber (Hedychium gardnerianum, Sheppard ex Ker-Gawl) for animal feeding
July 2017
Animal production in the Azores is conditioned by the cycles of grass production. In a situation when lack of fiber for animal feed occurs, low quality fibrous foods become relevant. For these reasons, Hedychium gardnerianum (ginger lily), a well-known and traditional source of fiber used by Azorean farmers have been studied. The plant material was subjected to treatments with 5% dry matter (DM) with urea, 3% DM with...
Diversity of predatory arthropod communities in tobacco-garlic eco-system
July 2017
Predatory arthropods, especially spiders, play a vital role in the control of insect pests in agro-ecosystems. Accordingly, two year field study was conducted at the Longyan Substation of Fujian Institute of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences in China to determine the effects of garlic and tobacco intercropping system on spiders and predatory arthropods. A total of 545 and 860 (in 2011 and 2012, respectively) individuals of...
Levels of the amino-acid lysine in rations for broilers
July 2017
Synthetic amino acid supplementation has provided facilities in the adjustment of feed formula, making it possible to obtain the required levels of essential amino acids. Lysine is pronounced the second greatest restrictive amino acid in broiler nutrition. The synthetic amino acid lysine is used as the orientation amino acid in poultry for the reason that it is mainly consumed for protein synthesis. In order to...
Growth patterns and Fulton’s condition factor of the silver catfish Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes: Claroteidae) from a sand-dragged man-made lake of Benin
July 2017
Notwithstanding the nutritional, economic and fisheries importance of Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus, and its relatively high abundance and propagation in Lake Ahozon (South Benin), nothing is known about the well-being of the species in this water body. Thus, this study investigated length and weight frequency distributions, length-weight relationships and condition factors of C. nigrodigitatus. A total of 1020...
Chlorophyll relative index for diagnosing nitrogen status in corn hybrids
July 2017
The aim of the current study was to determine the chlorophyll relative index (CRI) in different leaves and phenological stages of the crop in order to diagnose the status of nitrogen (N) in corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids as a function of N rates applied in bands correlating them with N content in the leaves and crop productivity. The field experiment consisted of two corn hybrids (P30R50 and AG8025) and 6 N rates applied in...
Effect of temperature on sweet potato virus disease symptom expression
July 2017
The incidence and severity of sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) was reported to be highly variable under different agroecological zones in Uganda, a situation that could be partly attributable to differences in temperature. This raised a need for understanding the effect of temperature on the biology of SPVD causative agents which ultimately influences disease development and symptom expression that undermines...
Expediency of water and soil nutrients in irrigated and extreme drought conditions
July 2017
Climate change has become global issue for crops due to increase in temperature and less rainfall resulting in shortage of water and decrease in yield. The experiment consisted of five guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) genotypes viz. S-5744, S-5824, S-5785, BR-90, BR-99 were cultivated under irrigated and drought stress (only soaking dose) conditions using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The...
Impacts of the exchange rate and world income on Brazilian agricultural exports
July 2017
The main objective of this paper was to analyse to what extent the Brazilian agricultural exports responds to changes in the real exchange rate and in the world income for the 2000 to 2014 period (monthly). The results showed that the coefficient of the value of agricultural exports in relation to the exchange rate was inelastic in the long run (0.2540). However, the adjustment coefficient of the exported value in...
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