African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6902

AJAR Articles

Assessment of the performance of informal women entrepreneurs in Enugu State, south east Nigeria

March 2017

A simple theoretical model of informal women co-operatives micro credit societies’ participation in providing access to credit to informal women entrepreneurs was used to explain their coping strategies under liquidity constraints. A total of 432 questionnaires were administered to informal women entrepreneurs from September 2013 to January, 2014 for primary data collection in Enugu State, south east Nigeria....

Author(s): Patience Ifenyinwa Opata and Rosemary Nnedinso Arua

Reaction of Coffea canephora clones to the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

March 2017

In the Western Amazon, Brazil, Coffea canephora Pierre is the main species cultivated because it has good adaptation to the climate and soils of the region. Among the factors that limit the yield of this crop, Meloidogyne or root-knot nematode, caused by the root knot nematode, is an aggressive disease present in the state of Rondonia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reaction of fifteen clones of C. canephora,...

Author(s): Anderson Vieira Santos, Rodrigo Barros Rocha, Cléberson de Freitas Fernandes, Silvaldo Felipe da Silveira, André Rostand Ramalho and José Roberto Vieira Júnior

The sowing density on oat productivity indicators

March 2017

The sowing density adjustment in oat can maximize the productivity expression. The aim of this study is to define the behavior of productivity expression of biomass, grains, straw and harvest index through increasing sowing density in the main biotype cultivated in Southern Brazil. It proposes the possibility of indicating higher sowing density to the productivity maximization of biomass and grains. With the density...

Author(s): Marcos Vinicios Romitti, Eldair Fabricio Dornelles, José Antonio Gonzalez da Silva, Anderson Marolli, Rubia Diana Mantai, Osmar Bruneslau Scremin, Emilio Ghisleni Arenhardt, Ana Paula Brezolin, Douglas Cézar Reginatto, Ari Higino Scremin, Andressa Raquel Cyzeski de Lima and Dionatas Rodrigues da Silva

Macronutrient content and accumulations in different arrangements of dwarf pigeon pea intercropped with corn

March 2017

Intercropping is a technique which consists of cultivating two or more species in the same area. In these systems, planning and management should be carried out in order to avoid interspecies competition for water, light, and nutrients. This paper aimed to evaluate macronutrient content and accumulations in corn (Zea mays L.) intercropped with dwarf pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) in different plant arrangements. The...

Author(s): Anderson de Souza Gallo, Anastácia Fontanetti, Nathalia de França Guimarães, Kátia Priscilla Gomes Morinigo and Maicon Douglas Bispo de Souza

Determinants of Adoption of Improved Technologies in Rice Production in Imo State, Nigeria

March 2017

In Imo State, an increasing number of improved rice production technologies and management techniques have been introduced to rice farmers across the State. Despite the introduction of the rice production technologies, rice production continues to be low. This study therefore analyzed factors associated with adoption of improved rice production technologies in Imo State of Nigeria. Random sampling technique was used in...

Author(s): Onyeneke, R. U.

Selectivity of pre-and post-emergent herbicides for cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

March 2017

Historically, cowpea farming has been concentrated to the north and northeast of Brazil, and is usually cultivated with low level of technology. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in the area planted with the crop in the central west, using technology, and there is therefore now a need to study, among other factors, the chemical control of weeds. Two experiments were carried out with the aim of making...

Author(s): Antônio Félix da Costa, Leandro Silva do Vale, Alexandre Bosco de Oliveira, José Félix de Brito Neto and Gleibson Dionizio Cardoso

Carbon sequestration and assessment of fertility status of soil under different land uses for agronomic potentials in Abakaliki South Eastern Nigeria

March 2017

Abakaliki is predominantly agrarian but continuous cropping is largely practiced due to population pressure. Consequently, there is effort to evolve strategies that would ensure sustainable productivity. This necessitated a research which was carried out to study carbon sequestration and assessment of fertility status of soil for agronomic potentials under different land use systems. Six different land uses each of 20 m...

Author(s): Nwite, J. N. and Alu, M. O.

Ammonium and nitrate levels of soil inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense in maize

March 2017

Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen fixing bacteria used in maize crop production due to its high capacity for plant growth promotion and yield increase. The present study aimed to evaluate ammonium and nitrate levels from soil inoculated with A. brasilense in maize crop production. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse conditions, using randomized blocks with split plots for 20 days with four replicates and...

Author(s): Roberta Mendes-Santos, Saveetha Kandasamy and Everlon Cid-Rigobelo

Artificial neural networks in predicting energy density of Bambusa vulgaris in Brazil

March 2017

In this study, the physical and chemical characteristics of Bambusa vulgaris ex J.C. Wendl. var.vulgaris (Bambusa vulgaris) aged 1, 2 and 3 years were evaluated. The objective was to train, validate and evaluate the efficiency of artificial neural networks (ANNs) as predictive tools to estimate bamboo stem energy density grown commercially in northeastern Brazil. For that, samples were collected in a commercial...

Author(s): Ailton Teixeira do Vale, Eder Pereira Miguel, Alessandro Cézar de Oliveira Moreira, Clarissa Melo Lima, Bruna Bárbara Maciel Amoras Orellana, Myla Medeiros Fortes, Mayara Paula Oliveira Machado, Joaquim Carlos Gonçalez and Ildeu Soares Martins

New type of trap for monitoring banana weevil population

March 2017

The objective of this study was to test the efficiency of a new model of trap by comparing it with the most recommended and used traps by producers to monitor Cosmopolites sordidus in areas of production of plantains. Three types of vegetable traps were tested: cheese, modified roof tile and a new trap called wedge. The experiment was carried out in five areas of production, measuring one hectare each, in which 20 traps...

Author(s): Juliana Silva Queiroz, Marilene Fancelli, Maurício Antonio Coelho Filho, Carlos Alberto da Silva Ledo and César Guillén Sánches

Productive and physiological performance of lettuce cultivars at different planting densities in the Brazilian Semi-arid region

March 2017

In regions of high temperature, production and quality in the lettuce is reduced. This requires finding of cultivars that are more adapted to such conditions and adjust the planting density for each cultivar. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the productive and physiological performance of lettuce cultivars at different planting densities under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was carried out at...

Author(s): Hozano de Souza Lemos Neto, Marcelo de Almeida Guimarães, Jean Paulo de Jesus Tello, Rosilene Oliveira Mesquita, Júlio César do Vale and Benedito Pereira Lima Neto

Correlation and path coefficient analysis of top-cross and three-way cross hybrid maize populations

March 2017

Grain yield is a complex quantitative trait that depends on a number of other traits for selection.  This study was carried out to reveal the pattern of association with and contribution of traits to grain yield in two maize populations evaluated in three agro-ecological zones of South-Western Nigeria during the 2014 cropping season. The experiment consisted of 10 top-cross and 10 three-way cross maize hybrids,...

Author(s): Sayo Sesay, David Kolawole Ojo, Omolayo Johnson Ariyo, Silvestro Meseka, Lawrence Stephen Fayeun, Ayoola Oluwaseun Omikunle, and Adebiyi Oyeboade Oyetunde,

Micronutrients application on cultivation of sugarcane billets

March 2017

The production of sugarcane is constantly growing in Brazil, and by the 2016/2017 season, it is estimated to have reached 691 million tons. However, productivity has not shown significant increase, this is due largely to inadequate nutritional supplementation of sugarcane plantations, especially the micronutrients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of micronutrients application on the billets and quality...

Author(s): Fernanda Forli, Rafael Otto, Godofredo César Vitti, Diego Wylliam do Vale and Rodrigo Takashi Maruki Miyake

Contributive effect of growth regulator Trinexapac-Ethyl to oats yield in Brazil

March 2017

Studies on efficient use of the plant growth regulator can make this technology possible for leveraging oat yield in Brazil. This study aims to define the optimal dose growth regulator in oat, which allows plant lodging at most 5%. Establishing equations describe the yield indicators behavior and by using the optimal growth regulator dose for lodging, simulate the expression of these indicators regardless of reduced,...

Author(s): Anderson Marolli, José Antonio Gonzalez da Silva, Marcos Vinicios Romitti, Rúbia Diana Mantai, Osmar Bruneslau Scremin, Rafael Zancan Frantz, Sandro Sawicki, Emilio Ghisleni Arenhardt, Maria Eduarda Gzergorczick and Andressa Raquel Cyzeski de Lima

Assessing rural farmers’ perceptions and vulnerability to climate change in uMzinyathi District of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

March 2017

There is little awareness among rural farming communities on their vulnerability to climate change. This paper examined the vulnerabilities of the rural small scale farming communities in the uMzinyathi District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to climate change. A survey among 200 households who were randomly chosen but who had lived in the community for over twenty years was conducted. Focus group discussions and key...

Author(s): Stephen Shisanya and Paramu Mafongoya

Upland rice growth and yield response to weed management practices under rainfed conditions in Morogoro, Tanzania

March 2017

Field experiments were conducted in two seasons at the farm of Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, Tanzania (6.85°S; 37.64°E and 568 m.a.s.l.) during the short rain (November 2014 to January 2015) and the long rain (March to June 2015). The experiment was a split plot in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 4 replicates. Weed management practices (herbicides, hoe weeding (3x) and weedy) were...

Author(s): David S. Kolleh, Kallunde P. Sibuga and Charles F. King

Analysis of wheat commercialization in Ethiopia: The case of SARD-SC wheat project innovation platform sites

March 2017

In Ethiopia, wheat is becoming an essential source of income for farmers even though it is still a fundamental food crop. While the major proportion is kept for consumption, farmers sell part of their wheat produce. The main objectives of this paper are to assess the level of commercialization and its determinants of wheat producers in the four major producing regions. Quantitative primary data was collected from...

Author(s): Tadele Mamo, Wudineh Getahun, Agajie Tesfaye, Ali Chebil, Tesfaye Solomon, Aden Aw-Hassan, Tolessa Debele and Solomon Assefa

Coffee pruning: Importance of diversity among genotypes of Coffea arabica

March 2017

The renovation of Arabica coffee crops located in mountain regions should be based on the use of new improved genotypes and increased plant density, which require the establishment of an adequate pruning system. Little is known about the response of improved genotypes to pruning, therefore this study was done to evaluate the vegetative and reproductive recovery after pruning of genotypes of Arabica coffee cultivated in...

Author(s): Wagner Nunes Rodrigues, Lima Deleon Martins, Márcio Antonio Apostólico, Tafarel Victor Colodetti, Sebastião Vinícius Batista Brinate, Bruno Fardim Christo and Marcelo Antonio Tomaz

Phytosociological survey of arboreous species in conserved and desertified areas in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil

March 2017

The objective of this study is to perform a phytosociological survey of the arboreous composition in conserved and desertified areas of the semiarid region of Paraiba State. Twenty-two conserved areas (CA) with native vegetation (Caatinga) where there has been no clear cut logging since 1984, and Twenty-two desertified areas (DA) having a difficult re-establishment of vegetal coverage over the past 10 years were...

Author(s): Jhony Vendruscolo, Aldrin Martin Perez Marin, , Bruno de Oliveira Dias, , Evaldo dos Santos Felix, Allana dos Anjos Coutinho and Karoline Ruiz Ferreira

Assessment of post-harvest losses of Warqe food products along the supply chain in Central Ethiopia

March 2017

Post-harvest food loss is a global problem but it is more critical in the food-insecure countries. Food waste occurs at different levels in the food supply chain from production through post-harvest handling to consumption. The presented paper aims at an assessment of post-harvest food loss of warqe foods along the supply chain and identified hot spots of the losses in the chain. Warqe (Ensete ventricosum (Welw)...

Author(s): Ashenafi Chaka Tuffa, Tadesse Kenea Amentae , Tesfaye Balemi and Girma Gebresenbet

Quantification and conservation status of forest fragments in part of Brazilian Atlantic Forest

March 2017

Forest fragments present shapes and sizes that become them more or less susceptible to external factors, which can be measured by means of ecological indexes. The aim of this research was to diagnose conservation status and to quantify forest fragments in part of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Forest fragments were mapped and landscape ecology metrics were calculated, including area size, fractal dimension index, and...

Author(s): Hassan Camil David, Gilson Fernandes da Silva, José Eduardo Macedo Pezzopane, Sylvio Péllico Netto, Leonardo Bergantini Pimentel, Emanuel José Gomes de Araújo and Allan Libanio Pelissari

Germination and seed traits variations among West African provenances of Moringa oleifera Lam. (Burkina Faso)

March 2017

Moringa oleifera is a fruit species of economic interest to West African smallholder growers. To generate benefits to poor rural communities, improved knowledge is needed on plantation management and selection of the most reliable seed sources. The aim of the study was to investigate variation in seed traits and germination rates among 12 provenances of M. oleifera from West Africa in the women gardening center named...

Author(s): Madjelia Cangré Ebou Dao, Paulette Taita and Denis Walsh

Supplemental value of leaf based concentrates with Panicum maximum hay on performance of West African dwarf goats

March 2017

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of a leaf based concentrate consisting of a 1:1 leaf mixture of Vernonia amygdalina and Tithonia diversifolia (VATD) as a direct replacement for brewers dried grains (BDG) on feed intake, growth performance and digestibility by West African Dwarf (WAD) goats on a basal diet of Panicum maximum hay. Twenty five growing WAD goats weighing between 8.07 - 9.60...

Author(s): Taye Olurotimi Abegunde, Festus Tope Ajayi, Joseph Folami Olona and Fatima Balogun

Economic viability of the canola crop with nitrogen applied in coverage in no-tillage system in Corbélia-PR, Brazil

March 2017

It is essential for the farmer, to have information of cultural costs when deploying a new crop or new technology. The cost of the study allows decision making for new technologies and use of viable inputs in production (Richetti, 2011; Souza et al., 2012). Zimmermann (2005), when studying technical and economic viability of canola crops, stated that canola is economically viable. The aim of this work was to assess the...

Author(s): Reginaldo Ferreira Santos, Onóbio Vicente Werner, Luciene Kazue Tokura, Deonir Secco, Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza, Cristiano Fernando Lewandoski, Paulo de Lima Bueno and  Oswaldo Hideo Ando Junior

Effect of pesticides and micro-organisms on earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826)

March 2017

Earthworms might be limited in their activities on soil by pesticides used at important rates in agriculture and human pathogenic micro-organisms introduced in soil by excreta. This study using a modified toxicity filter paper contact test from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), aimed at assessing the toxicity of six pesticides formulations and six micro-organisms on the earthworm Eisenia...

Author(s): Toualy S. Ouina, Jean-Michel Panoff, Marina Koussémon and Tia J. Gonnety

Effect of combined biotic and abiotic stress on some physiological aspects and antioxidant enzymatic activity in mungbean (Vigna radiate L.)

March 2017

Stomata conductance (gs), Shoot water content (SWC), chlorophyll pigments (chl a,b) and enzymes involved in anti-oxidant photo-protection were determined in two mungbean genotypes (Kawmay-1 and VC2010) under greenhouse conditions. The two genotypes were subjected to water deficit stress (20, 40 and 80% of field capacity) and two root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) infection levels (non-infected and infected at...

Author(s): Ali A. Alderfasi, Areej A. Alzarqaa, Fahad A. AL-Yahya, Shahira S. Roushdy, Ahmed A. Dawabah and Bushra A. Alhammad

Analysis of the energetic dynamism between solar and wind energy available in the south of Brazil

March 2017

Based on the concept of sustainability, which covers the energy issue as well as its rational use from natural resources, conventional sources do not meet the real requirements of the current production methods. In that context the west region of Paraná state in Brazil presents a vocation for developing projects that involve energy production from alternate sources such as biomass, water, wind energy and solar....

Author(s): Darlisson Bentes dos Santos, Jair Antonio Cruz Siqueira, Carlos Eduardo Camargo Nogueira, Magno Luiz Vidotto, Gilson Debastiani, Armin Feiden, Luiz Antônio Zanão and Flávio Gurgacz

Determination of macaw fruit harvest period by biospeckle laser technique

March 2017

Macaw palm has been stood out as a raw material for the production of bioenergy, because it has high productivity of oil and less emission of polluting waste during combustion, meeting the worldwide demand for sustainable energy sources. The aims of this research were the evaluation of response of the biologic activity measured by the optical technique of the biospeckle laser applied to macaw palm fruits at different...

Author(s): Anderson Gomide Costa, Francisco de Assis de Carvalho Pinto, Roberto Braga Alves Júnior, Sérgio Yoshimitsu Motoike and Luís Manuel Navas Gracia

Postharvest diseases of tomato and natural products for disease management

March 2017

Gray mold and soft rot are the most important postharvest diseases of tomato worldwide. A survey of fresh-market tomato fruit was conducted in Oahu to determine which fungal and bacterial pathogens were most commonly associated with postharvest disease. Alternaria, Botrytis, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Mucor, Stemphyllium, Rhizopus and Penicillium were the most frequently isolated fungi and Acetobacter,...

Author(s): Firas A. Ahmed, Brent S. Sipes and Anne M. Alvarez

Wheat yield obtained from nitrogen dose and fractionation

February 2017

It is possible to increase nitrogen for wheat productivity by adjusting the single and fractionated dose based on the condition of the agricultural year. The objective of this work is to study the  highest  amount of nitrogen used for the production of wheat using single dose  or fractionation under favorable and unfavorable cultivation years. The study was conducted in  2012, 2013 and 2014 in...

Author(s): Ana Paula Brezolin, José Antonio Gonzalez da Silva, Fabricia Roos-Frantz, Manuel Osorio Binelo, Cleusa Adriane Menegassi Bianchi Krüger, Emilio Ghisleni Arenhardt, Anderson Marolli, Rubia Diana Mantai, Osmar Bruneslau Scremin and Eldair Fabricio Dornelles

Treatments and utilization of swine waste in Brazil

February 2017

Swine wastes obtained from farming activities have the greatest impact on the environment by environmental agencies. Swine wastes together with poor management represent risks to the environment. In Brazil, these activities significantly increased in the last years and from 2014, the country became the fourth largest producer in the world. Swine wastes are generated in high amounts due to the confinement system used...

Author(s): Kesia Damaris de Azevedo Frigo, Armin Feiden, Silvio César Sampaio, Geraldo Camilo Alberton, Lara Talita Schneider, Gabriela Bonassa, Elisadro Pires Frigo and Reginaldo Ferreira Santos

Effects of edible coating materials and stages of maturity at harvest on storage life and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.) fruits

February 2017

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits due to their high moisture content are spoiled and deteriorate in short period of time. Once fruits are harvested, respiration and transpiration are the two major physiological processes that significantly affect storage life and quality of the fruits. However, effects of these processes can be minimized through optimizing harvesting stage of fruits and applying physical...

Author(s): Zekrehiwot Abebe, Yetenayet B. Tola and Ali Mohammed

Effect of Global-GAP policy on smallholder French beans farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies in Kenya

February 2017

This study analyzed the role of Global-GAP policy, on smallholder French beans farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies in, fruit and vegetables farming. It considered: (1) the prevailing adaptation strategies used by the farmers; (2) regional differences in the farmers’ adaptation strategies; and (3) how Global-GAP policy influence the farmers’ decisions on the use of adaptation strategies. A...

Author(s): Peter Shimon Otieno, Chris Ackello Ogutu, John Mburu and Rose Adhiambo Nyikal

Adjustment of decay rates of organic matter in a Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo in the Araripe National Forest, Brazil

February 2017

The use of mathematical models is an alternative way to understand how management practices affect soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics because such models yield results on time scales that would be impossible to observe in field studies. The aim of this study was to parameterise and calibrate the application Century 4.0 in terms of the edaphoclimatic conditions of a Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo of the Araripe Plateau and...

Author(s): Adriana Oliveira Araújo, Luiz Alberto Ribeiro Mendonça, Maria Gorethe de Sousa Lima, Eduardo de Sá Mendonça, Fernando José Araújo da Silva, José Marcos Sasaki, Antonio Italcy de Oliveira Júnior and José Valmir Feitosa

Aluminum buffering in acid soil under mineral gypsum application

February 2017

Many researches have performed on gypsum application to correct high exchangeable aluminum content in acidic soils, especially in subsurface. Although, they have found increases in the exchangeable calcium and sulfur contents, exchangeable aluminum has not been decreased. The exchangeable aluminum buffering by organic matter may contribute to non-significant reduction in exchangeable acidity. The objective of this study...

Author(s): Igor Tenório Marinho Rocha, Nathalia Sobral Bezerra, Fernando José Freire, Edivan Rodrigues de Souza, Maria Betânia Galvão dos Santos Freire, Emídio Cantídio Almeida de Oliveira and Djalma Euzébio Simões Neto

Soil pH, available P of an ultisol and castor performance as influenced by contrasting tillage methods and wood ash

February 2017

The effect of tillage methods and rates of wood ash on soil chemical properties and castor bean plant performance was studied in field trial at Abakaliki in three planting seasons. The experiment was a split plot in randomized complete block design with three tillage methods (mound, ridge, flat) and four rates of wood ash (0, 2t, 4 and 6 tha-1) replicated three times. Crop start version 7.2 was used to analyze data...

Author(s): Nweke, I. A., Mbah, C. N., Oweremadu, E. O., Dambaba, N., Orji, E. C., Ekesiobi, A. I. and Nnabuife, E. L. C.

Assessing environmental and social impacts of the oil palm industry in Ghana: A project synthesis

February 2017

The oil palm industry has many positive benefits, particularly as a key source of livelihoods for rural dwellers, but it also has negative impacts on the society and environment. For instance, poorly planned oil palm cultivation can increase the rate of natural forest loss, and contribute to unfair labour conditions on plantations and processing mills. It is therefore important for sustainable oil palm project...

Author(s): Isaac Gyamfi

Challenges of herdsmen-farmers’ conflict in livestock production in Nigeria: Experience of pastoralists in Kogi State, Nigeria

February 2017

Herders-farmers’ conflict is wide spread and a formidable challenge to livestock production in Nigeria. The study examined challenges faced by pastoralists in conflict with farming communities. A total of 72 Fulani pastoralists from transit camps were used. Data were collected by use of structured interview schedule, focus group discussion and personal observation and analysed using descriptive statistics and...

Author(s): Dimelu M. U., Salifu D. E., Enwelu A. I. and Igbokwe E. M.

Viability of the use of grass in the cultivation of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum

February 2017

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of ten types of grasses as base substrate for the cultivation of strain GLM-10/02 of Ganoderma lucidum, considering the chemical characterization of the substrates, the biological efficiency (BE), the quantification of fresh and dry basidiomata and the number of basidiomata as evaluation criteria. Ten treatments were outlined, made up with napier or elephant grass...

Author(s): André Luiz Merthan Saad, Otavio Augusto Pessotto Alves Siqueira, Olívia Gomes Martins, Sthefany Rodrigues Fernandes Viana and Meire Cristina Nogueira de Andrade

Does the quality of Luehea divaricata seedlings in the nursery correspond to their behavior in the field?

February 2017

The species, Luehea divaricata offers great ecological and timber potential in addition to a wide geographic distribution, although there are few studies comparing seedling production in the nursery with its development in the field. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the performance of L. divaricata seedlings produced in different substrates in the nursery, as well as verify if the results obtained influence...

Author(s): Jessé Caletti Mezzomo, Maristela Machado Araujo, Daniele Guarienti Rorato, Daniele Rodrigues Gomes, Adriana Falcão Dutra and Felipe Turchetto

Impact of cassava starch-alginate based coatings added with ascorbic acid and elicitor on quality and sensory attributes during pineapple storage

February 2017

Pineapple is a tropical fruit of great consume demand. However, due to its high perishability at room conditions, there is noticeable loss of quality postharvest in a short period. In this context, the use of biodegradable coatings is a promising alternative for maintaining postharvest quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of cassava starch-alginate based biodegradable coatings added with ascorbic...

Author(s): George Henrique Camêlo Guimarães, Renato Lima Dantas, Alex Sandro Bezerra de Sousa, Luciana Gomes Soares, Raylson de Sá Melo, Rosana Sousa da Silva, Renato Pereira Lima, Rejane Maria Nunes Mendonça, Randolph M. Beaudry and Silvanda de Melo Silva

Socioeconomic determinants of hybrid maize adoption in Kenya

February 2017

Kenya has increasingly relied on modern agricultural technology to increase productivity since land extensification is no longer a feasible option to satisfy national food demands. Hybrid maize varieties have been one of the more successful technologies developed, responsible for dramatic yield increases in the developed world since World War II and more recently as an integral part of the Green Revolution. The purpose...

Author(s): Wang, Y., Vitale, J., Park, P., Adams, B., Agesa, B. and Korir M.

Leaf area of sugarcane varieties and their correlation with biomass productivity in three cycles

February 2017

The objective of this work is to study the leaf area and biomass production of 4 sugarcane varieties in cane plant cycles, first and second regrowth. The experiment was conducted at Fazenda Jequiá in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. A randomized block design with 5 replications was used. The treatments were 4 cultivars: RB92579, SP813250, RB867515 and VAT90212. The length and width of the sheet + 3 were determined...

Author(s): Vinicius Santos Gomes da Silva, Mauro Wagner de Oliveira, Terezinha Bezerra Albino Oliveira,  Bruno Campos Mantovanelli, Abraão Cícero da Silva, Adrielle Naiana Ribeiro Soares and Paulo Ricardo Aprígio Clemente

Response of phosphorous fertilizer and its recommendation for food barley (Hordium vulgare L.) production on Nitisols of central Ethiopian highlands

February 2017

Nowadays, making available proper and balanced fertilizer recommendations is of paramount importance in order to confirm security and increase crop productivity in sustainable way for farmers and other stakeholders. Soil test based phosphorous calibration study was conducted for barley (Hordium vulgare L.) on Nitosols of farmers’ fields in West Shewa, in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The experiment was...

Author(s): Legesse Admassu

Automation in the control of a water mixer used for sanitation of bovine milking unit

February 2017

The milking unit sanitization is necessary after use. The processes are usually divided in steps and each one needs water at different temperatures for proper cleaning. However, to get the right temperature for each step cannot be easily achieved manually in rural properties. A hot water and cold water flow are needed. The farmer will need to properly mix the two water flows in order to reach a desired...

Author(s): Carlos Eduardo Camargo Nogueira, Gilberto Carlos Arnauts, Enerdan Fernando Dal Ponte, Rosemar Cristiane Dal Ponte, Jair Antonio Cruz Siqueira, Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza and Eder Soares Machado

Impact of climate change on cotton production in Burkina Faso

February 2017

This paper evaluated the impact of climate change on cotton production in Burkina Faso. An econometric analysis resulted in identifying the major factors influencing cotton yields and evaluating the likely effects of future climate change. The results of our study regarding the potential impact of future climate change on cotton yield indicated that further increases in global temperature would significantly reduce the...

Author(s): Abdoulaye Diarra, Bruno Barbier, Bétéo Zongo and Hamma Yacouba

Long-term application of swine manure on soybean grown in no-till system in Savannah soils

February 2017

The application of liquid swine manure (LSM) in the soil as biofertilizer is one of the most recycling alternatives adopted, because the nutrients contained in this residue can override, in part or totally, commercial fertilizers, crop productivity with a reduction in production costs. The goal with this work was to evaluate the use of LSM as a substitute of mineral fertilization on soybean culture in conditions of...

Author(s): June Faria Scherrer Menezes, Mariana Pina da Silva, Veridiana Cardozo Gonçalves Cantão, Jeander Oliveira Caetano, Vinícius de Melo Benites, Gabriela Wilk Baião Campos and Bruno Lobato Rodrigues dos Santos

Physical and physiological attributes of black oat seeds produced in southern Brazil

February 2017

Black oat crop occupies the largest area during winter. It is important for animal production, crop rotation and dry matter production of approximately 3.8 million hectares in Rio Grande do Sul State. To ensure sowing, seeds are produced which must have high quality standards and must be evaluated by seed testing laboratories. Given this, the present study evaluated the physical and physiological quality of oat seeds...

Author(s): Roberto Carbonera, Ubirajara Russi Nunes, Alessandro Dal’Col Lúcio, José Antônio Gonzalez da Silva and Lorenzo Ghisleni Arenhardt

Cryopreservation and effect of lighting conditions and cytokinins on in vitro multiplication of Miconia ligustroides (DC.) Naudin

February 2017

Miconia ligustroides is a species that is native to Brazil and has medicinal and ecological importance. However, the species shows a lack of uniformity and delay in ex vitro germination. Thus, this study aimed to establish in vitro propagation for the species and to develop a protocol for the cryopreservation of seeds. For in vitro germination, activated charcoal (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g L-1) was tested in Murashige...

Author(s): Débora de Oliveira Prudente, Débora Domiciano, Renato Paiva, Fernanda Carlota Nery and Wesley Pires Flausino Máximo

Artificial neural networks in whole-stand level modeling of Eucalyptus plants

February 2017

Forestry production is traditionally predicted using mathematical modelling, where whole-stand models are prominent for providing estimates of growth and production per unit area. However, there is a need to perform research that adopts innovative tools, such as artificial Intelligence techniques. The objective of this study was to train and evaluate the efficiency of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) in the modeling...

Author(s): Mirella Basileu de Oliveira Lima, Ilvan Medeiros Lustosa Junior, Elian Meneses Oliveira, Jéssica Cristina Barbosa Ferreira, Kálita Luis Soares and Eder Pereira Miguel

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