The need for short term training on sesame seedbug (Elasmolomus Sordidus Forsk) control to farmers and agricultural extension workers: A case study at Kafta-Humera Seasame fields, Northern Ethiopia
October 2016
For many years, Sesame producing farmers in Kafta–Humera, northern Ethiopia had been trying to protect their Sesame crop from infestation. However, it was not effective because of re-infestation by pest within a few days after pesticide spray. As a result. in the area, where this research was conducted, the infestation and damage level of the pest were increasing year after year. This study assessed farmers’...
Effect of hot water treatment on reduction of chilling injury and keeping quality in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits
September 2016
Chilling injury is a physiological disorder caused by the exposure of fruits and vegetables to low temperature above the freezing point. Chilling can delay fruit ripening in tomato fruits. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of hot water treatment on reduction of chilling injury and keeping quality of tomato fruits. The experiment was done in post-harvest physiology laboratory of Jimma University...
Insecticidal activity of plant extracts and essential oils of bleed water against the bean weevil
September 2016
This study was aimed to evaluate the toxicity of semi-purified fractions (FS) (Hexane - FH, ethyl acetate - FAE, ethanol/water - FEA) and the essential oils of the bark and leaves of Croton urucurana against the bean weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus). The insects were subjected to concentration-mortality bioassays of the FS, to determine the LC50. Subsequently, the effect of the FS was evaluated, through the method of...
Use of recycled containers for hermetic maize storage In East Africa
August 2016
Affordable, pesticide-free, and reliable maize storage containers for seed and food purposes are not available in many subsistence farming cultures. As a result, subsistence farmers lose their crop to pests and are forced to dispose of their maize for a low price right after harvest thus, robbing them of profit and food for the rest of the year. The objective of this research was to develop information to enable...
Post-harvest losses and handling practices of durable and perishable crops produced in relation with food security of households in Ethiopia: Secondary data analysis
May 2016
This secondary data analysis was conducted to assess post-harvest losses and handling practices. The postharvest section of the Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) data set of the Ethiopian Rural Socio-economic Survey (ERSS) was used as a data source. The analysis result showed losses of 153.29 kg of cereal crops (7.7% households), 120.16 kg of pulses (5.5% households), 320 kg of oilseeds (4.1% households), 102.19...
Ozone to control Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in stored wheat grains
April 2016
Alternatives for the control of insect pests in grain processing and storage units are necessary to maintain the characteristics of the product and decrease environmental impact. Although the toxic effects of ozone on some insect pests of stored products are already known, there is little information about their effects inside the grain column. This study aimed to evaluate Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabr.) (Coleoptera:...
Response of cucurbitacin B concentration in Nemafric-BL phytonematicide to increasing storage period
March 2016
Nemafric-BL phytonematicide, produced from fermented fruit of wild watermelon (Cucumis africanus), had been consistent in suppressing root-knot (Meloidogyne species) nematode population densities. However, due to the biological nature of Nemafric-BL phytonematicide, quality could be compromised during increasing storage period. A study was, therefore, conducted to determine the response of cucurbitacin B concentration...
Cashew apple utilization in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects
February 2016
Cashew apple, a juicy fruit, rich in vitamins and minerals, is still a highly underutilized fruit in Nigeria. Cashew apple can be processed into a variety of products, such as juice, quash, syrups, jam, candy, wine alcohol, vinegar and dietary fiber. Although various research works have been carried out on cashew apple, and its nutritional qualities, a number of challenges may still be responsible for it’s under...
Exploring value chain and post-harvest losses of Teff in Bacho and Dawo districts of central Ethiopia
January 2016
This study was made with the aim of exploring Teff value chain and postharvest-losses in Ethiopia. Semi-structured survey questionnaire and interview of key informants were used to collect primary data. Characterizations, descriptive statistics, Probit, and Tobit regression models were used to analyze data collected. SPSS and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze the data. The result identified major chain actors in the...
Measured and predicted temperature of maize grain (Zea mays L.) under hermetic storage conditions
January 2016
The physical properties of grain, such as temperature and moisture content are two key factors in grain storage. Temperature and relative humidity are two crucial factors for stored grain. In this study, three different storage conditions (room temperature at , 25°C; cooling at , 4 °C; and freezing at , -20°C) were investigated. Yellow dent corn (Zea mays L.) maize(variety Blue River 571136) from Iowa,...
Effects of different treatments for the control of Callosobruchus chinensis L. on proximate composition of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), in Meskan district, Ethiopia
December 2015
Chickpea, Cicer arietinum L. is one of the major pulses grown in Ethiopia and provides an important source of food and nutritional security for the rural poor. However; chickpea seeds are heavily damage by bruchids and suffer heavy loss in quantity and quality. This study was conducted to determine the effects of different storage treatments on proximate properties of stored improved and local chickpea varieties over...
Preservation of mature green tomatoes using controlled atmosphere storage under tropical conditions
September 2015
Preservation of mature green tomatoes in a controlled atmosphere (CA) was studied under semi-arid condition in Nigeria. Mature-green tomatoes were held in 5-litre glass jars filled with 4% oxygen and 96% nitrogen at ambient temperature of 24 to 29°C for 5 days or 10 days. The fruits were thereafter exposed to normal atmosphere and compared with fruits that were stored in normal air (control).. Fruits held in CA for...
Use of modified atmosphere on packaging cut flower gladiolus Gladiolus grandiflorus Hort
September 2015
The effect of use of modified atmosphere packaging technology (MAP) for increased shelf life of the Cut spikes of gladiolus grandiflorus Hort were studied. Three mixtures gas were evaluated, in two temperature conditions. The best condition was in the mixture with 70% N2, 15% CO2, 15% O2. Modified atmosphere packaging allowed conservation of cut spikes gladiolus by six days in polyethylene bag median barrier a 5°C....
Eco-friendly management of chickpea storage pest, Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Coleoptera; Bruchidae) under laboratory conditions in Eritrea
August 2015
Bruchid (Callosobruchus chinensis L) is the most important insect pest of pulses in store. Loss assessment study due to Bruchids in store on chickpea was conducted from October 2004 to March 2005 under laboratory conditions (25-27°C and 61% RH) in the College of Agriculture Asmara University. The treatments used were: Control, (with no treatment), mixture of sand, taff, ash, Malathox 1% and sesame oil. Monthly data...
Performance evaluation of termite-mound clay, concrete and steel silos for the storage of maize grains in the humid tropics
July 2015
Inadequate storage facilities have contributed to severe postharvest losses in maize in many developing countries. This study determined the potential of termite mound clay (TMC), a readily-available material in Nigeria for constructing on-farm storage silos. 3 tonnes of maize at 11.2% moisture content (MC) was loaded into each silo for an 8-month storage period. Performance evaluation was done in comparison to...
Aflatoxin management in Northern Ghana: Current prevalence and priority strategies in maize (Zea mays L)
June 2015
The production and utilization of maize have increased tremendously across all regions of Ghana in recent times. However, aflatoxin (AF) contamination in grain maize has remained a critical food safety concern. The study was conducted in 6 districts in the Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana to assess farmers’ knowledge on AF, and determine AF levels under farmer storage conditions. A total of 240...
Safe storage guidelines for black gram under different storage conditions
May 2015
India is the leading producer and importer of pulse in the world. Post-harvest loss is very high in India with losses during storage around 5 to 10%. This situation demands the development of storage guidelines for pulses to provide information to farmers on how long storage is possible without deterioration. Black gram is selected for this study as it is an important pulse used in many traditional specialty products in...
Biological control of the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) in stored maize using the fungal pathogen, Beauveria bassiana and the predator Teretrius nigrescens Lewis
April 2015
The larger grain borer (LGB), Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) is a cosmopolitan and major storage pest of maize causing up to 48% dry weight loss. Chemical pesticides are available for the management of this pest but these have potential negative effects on the consumer and the environment if misused. Thus, the present study aimed at assessing the compatibility of two bio-control agents (Teretrius nigrescens and Beauveria...
Storability of soybean flour and its hazard analysis in Nigeria
March 2015
Soybean was procured from a local market in Ilorin, washed, dried, milled, packaged and stored under hermetic conditions using transparent plastic container. Proximate composition was carried out on the samples 4-monthly (once-in -4 months) for a period of one year. Moisture content was determined by air-oven method while proximate composition was carried out by Standard Methods of Association of Official Analytical...
Eco-friendly approaches for management of bruchid beetle Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) infesting faba bean and cowpea under laboratory conditions
March 2015
Eco-friendly management of bruchid beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis infesting faba bean (Vicia faba) and cowpea (Vigna angulculata) under laboratory conditions were conducted at Department of Plant Protection, Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Keren, Eritrea, to evaluate the effectiveness of four environment friendly treatments, that is, sesame oil, neem seed powder, hot water salt solution and cold water salt solution...
Influence of different concentrations of CO2 in the postharvest conservation of peaches 'Aurora-1'
February 2015
The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of carbon dioxide associated with a fixed concentration of oxygen in the postharvest conservation of peaches 'Aurora-1'. Experiment was based on a complete random split plot design, five atmosphere conditions, five analysis dates with three replications, each consisting of five fruits. The treatments were based on five...
Biochemical basis of resistance in different varieties of maize for their relative susceptibility to Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
January 2015
Study on the susceptibility of 20 maize varieties against Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) was carried out under No-choice test method. The susceptibility was assessed on the basis of moth emergence, developmental period, insect weight, weight of flour, grain weight loss, grain damage and nutritional indices. Besides, biochemical characters of the grains were analyzed. Results showed that Pratap...
Mycoflora associated with Masakwa sorghum (sorghum bicolor (L) moench) in the North Eastern part of Nigeria
December 2014
A laboratory study was conducted at the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria to assess the incidence of seed-borne fungi and their effects on seed germination of Masakwa sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Three varieties (Bulwana, Adjaama and Buruu) used were collected from different locations namely Bama, Dikwa and Konduga of Borno State, Nigeria. About 34.9% of the seeds were infected by different...
Identification of post-harvest rotting microorganisms from tomato fruits (Solanum esculentum Mill.) in Toke Kutaye District of West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia
November 2014
Tomato (Solanum esculentum Mill.) fruits were collected from farmers and retailers in Toke Kutaye District, Ethiopia during main-season (October to December, 2012) and off-season (December, 2012 to March, 2013) with an objective to identify microbial organisms that cause post-harvest rot of tomato. Diseased tissues were cultured in Potato Dextros Agar media for fungal and in Nutrient media for bacterial...
Post-harvest losses and welfare of tomato farmers in Ogbomosho, Osun state, Nigeria
June 2014
Crop losses, especially along the post-harvest food supply chain, have been identified as one of the major causes of food shortage problems in most developing countries and in Nigeria in particular. Vegetable farmers such as those that grow tomatoes often record great amount of produce loss which translates to a waste of resources, a reduction in their income and ultimately their welfare. This study examined the...
Micro level investigation of marketing and post harvest losses of tomato in Coimbatore district of Tamilnadu
May 2014
Most vegetables are perishable in nature, and in that post harvest losses and distribution channel plays a vital role in price fixation of vegetables, especially in tomato which is sensitive to much environment-genetic interaction disorders which may be manifested during post harvest ripening or post harvest inspection. A substantial quantity of production is subjected to post-harvest losses at various stages of its...
Effect of low temperature storage on conservation varieties of Chrysanthemum cutting
December 2013
The objective of this research was to evaluate postharvest quality of ‘Lona’ and ‘Garfield’ varieties chrysanthemums, stored at different temperatures. The experiment was carried out in a plastic greenhouse at Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais State, Brazil (22° 13'48" S, 45° 56'11" W and 832 m in height). The inflorescences were kept at 1.5, 2.5 and 5.0°C. The evaluated...
Role of storage facilities for insect pest control strategies in Punjab, Pakistan
December 2013
This research has a mint of importance in Pakistan where a major part of the economy is based on agricultural products. A survey was conducted in the Punjab province to evaluate the types and methods of storage and the pest attack on their storage and their control strategies as well. Questionnaire was designed to collect the information from the local people, gender, including students, landlords, house...
Effect of low temperature storage on fruit physiology and carbohydrate accumulation in tomato ripening-inhibited mutants
October 2013
Chilling-sensitive fruits often produce a burst of ethylene when reconditioned at ambient temperature after cold storage. This has led some researchers to propose that chilling injury (CI) may be induced by post-chilling ethylene production. To test this hypothesis, we examined two tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) mutants, non-ripening (nor) and ripening-inhibitor (rin), that do not produce climacteric ethylene, after...
Extracts of Jatropha curcas L. exhibit significant insecticidal and grain protectant effects against maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
October 2013
Phytochemical composition of leaf extracts as well as biological effects of juice, leaf extracts and seed oil of Jatropha curcas against Sitophilus zeamis were examined. The study also investigated the inhibition of oviposition, progeny production and grain damage, insecticidal effects and mammalian toxicity of the extracts. Compared to other phytochemicals, the concentration of saponin and cardiac glycoside were higher...
The influence of grain moisture content on the efficacy of silica dust on Prostephnus truncatus (horn) (Coleoptera: bostrichidae) and Sitophilus zeamais (motsch) (Coleoptera: curculionidae)
March 2013
The effect of grain moisture content on toxicity of silica dust against adult populations ofProstephanus truncatus and Sitophilus zeamais was investigated at 8.6, 13.7, 14.1, 15.4 and 17% moisture content levels of maize grains. Concentration levels of 0.25 to 50 mg/50 g maize grains were tested against P. truncatus and 0.25 to 7 mg/50 g maize grains for S. zeamais. The LC50 of the...
Non destructive method to manage the most dreaded pest Callosobruchus maculatus (Fab.) in Black gram Vigna mungo L.
March 2013
Under storage conditions, pulses suffer maximum grain loss due to the dreaded stored grain bruchid pests. Effect of different grain protectants on oviposition of pulse beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus showed that untreated check (13.31) registered the maximum number of eggs followed by seed treated with coarse river sand (11.62). Minimum number of eggs was recordedin activated clay...
Plant secondary metabolites as source of postharvest disease management: An overview
January 2013
Postharvest losses of stored products are enormous due to fungal deteriorations. Although, there are a number of synthetic fungicides available in the market for checking these deteriorations, they have several side effects such as high toxicity, long degradation periods, their residues in food chain, chronic poisoning through the continuous intake of small quantities, development of new races of pathogens,...
Microwave-vacuum drying effect on drying kinetics, lycopene and ascorbic acid content of tomato slices
January 2013
This study investigated the microwave-vacuum drying on the drying kinetics and quality attributes of dried tomatoes such as lycopene and ascorbic acid contents. Among the thirteen thin layer drying models that were used to fit the experimental data, the Midilli et al gave the highest correlation coefficient, lowest residual sum of squares, root mean square error, and reduced chi-square, thus indicating that the model of...
The impact of cooking on the proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors of water yam (Dioscorea alata)
December 2012
Raw and boiled water yam tubers (Dioscorea alata) were analyzed for proximate contents such as ash, crude protein, carbohydrate, crude fibre, crude lipid, energy and anti-nutrients using standard procedures and methods. The crude protein contents (10.27%), ash (2.93%) and lipid (0.15%) were significantly (p<0.05) lowered in the boiled tubers...
Storability and quality indices of palm oil in different packaging containers in Nigeria
December 2012
Palm oil was obtained from Linkjon commercial processing oil mill with food grade equipment at Umunze in Anambra State. The samples were stored at ambient conditions for one year in five different containers (transparent plastic, opaque blue plastic, opaque white plastic, green bottle and transparent bottle). Quality indices were determined for moisture content, free fatty acid (FFA), acid value and saponification value...
Quality evaluation of segments-in-syrup as affected by steeping preservation of aonla fruits
November 2012
Steeping preservation is one of the technologies comparatively economical and easy to follow for processing fruits for a prolonged period. In the present study, aonla fruits were preserved in solutions, viz: water (control), water + 500 ppm SO2, water + 2% salt solution + 500 ppm SO2,water + 5% sugar solution + 500 ppm SO2 and water + 2% salt solution + 5% sugar solution + 500 ppm SO2, up to 90 days...
Variation in germination and seed longevity of kenaf (Hibiscus canabinus) as affected by different maturity and harvesting stages
November 2012
Laboratory experiments were carried out during November 2010 to October 2011 at the seed testing Laboratory of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, to determine the effects of harvesting stages on seed viability and longevity of kenaf. Kenaf seeds of four genotypes were harvested at four stages of seed maturity namely; (1) four weeks after flowering (4...
Laboratory evaluation of the effect of Khaya senegalensis and Cassia occidentalis ethanolic leaves extracts against worker termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidoe) on treated wood sample
October 2012
Khaya senegalensis and Cassia occidentalis ethanolic leaves extract were evaluated for their effectiveness to suppress wood damage by termite at the Department of Biological Sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. K. senegalensis was collected from Nana hall female hostel, old campus of Bayero University Kano, and C. occidentalis was collected from wild areas of Aminu Kano Teaching...
Use of information and communication technologies by rural farmers in Oluyole local government area of Oyo State, Nigeria
October 2012
This study investigated the role, impact, level of use and potentials of integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ITCs) into agricultural development process in Oluyole local government area of Nigeria. The study observed that as much as finance and infrastructure were important in developing agriculture, much more were required in the form of ICTs to adequately extend innovations to effectively employ...
Methodology assessment on melting and texture properties of spread during ageing and impact of sample size on the representativeness of the results
May 2012
A large number of methods and instruments have been used for measuring the melting and texture properties of margarine and spread. All these methods assume that margarine or spreads are isotropic materials. Depending on the scale of the sample, such statement is sometimes questionable in particular when using miniaturized samples. This paper gives an overview of the methods adopted and evaluates its suitability to...
Effect of grain moisture content and storage time on efficacy of inert and botanical dusts for the control of Sitophilus zeamais in stored maize
May 2012
The effect of grain moisture content and time of storage on the efficacy of inert and botanical dusts, conventional and bacterial metabolite insecticides were evaluated in the laboratory. Maize grains at 10, 12, 14 and 16% moisture content were admixed with inert powder (diatomaceous earth Kensil Superfine®), maize cob and bean trash ashes, and botanical (neem seed cake powder) at a dose rate of 0.9% w/w. Actellic...
Modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging of banana (Musa spp.): A review on control of ripening and extension of shelf life
May 2012
Banana is one of the most important fruit crops in the world and is considered by millions of people as their main energy source. Post harvest shelf life extension has been a problem for years due to its climacteric respiration pattern and sensitivity to low temperature. Extensive research has been done in this area for many decades. Among various existing technologies, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) which extends...
Appraisal of rice production in Nigeria: A case study of north central states of Nigeria
May 2012
The study was carried out in order to determine the level of contribution of North Central States of Nigeria in rice production to the total output of rice in Nigeria. Secondary data were collected from National Bureau of Statistics. The data include land area used for rice cultivation and output of rice from the period of 1994/1995 to 2005/2006 cropping season. For the area of land used for rice cultivation, the...
Mathematical modelling of microwave drying of safou pulp
April 2012
Microwave drying characteristics of safou pulp (Dacryodesedulis) were evaluated in a laboratory scale microwave dryer. The drying experiments were carried out at 0.42, 0.56 and 0.70 kW. Three commonly used mathematical models were evaluated with the experimental data. The results indicated that the Page model was most adequate in predicting moisture transfer for safou pulp, just a falling rate period was observed in the...
Assesment of soil fertilty at different working depths of moldboard plow under silty loam soil
April 2012
A field experiment was conducted to determine the soil fertility influenced by moldboard plow.The composite soil samples were drawn from the depths of 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, 15 to 20 and 20 to 25 cm respectively, in order to ascertain the physiochemical properties of soil. Results obtained from the present experiment are summarized as; the total soluble salts in the experimental area showed that the soil was...
Studies on the standardization of ripening techniques for oranges
April 2012
Fruits of oranges cultivar’ free from any external and internal disorders harvested at physiological green mature stage were utilized for studying its ripening behavior. Initially, fruits were treated with Neem oil (1%). in order to break any pest attack and the treatments were given as foliar spray. Freshly harvested fruit were divided into different lots. The first lot of fruit was treated with ethylene gas as...
Estimation of haulage capacity and nest activity of different sizes of harvester ant (Messor galla forel) for major small grain cereals in Nigeria
April 2012
The experiment assessed the nest activity index, stock depletion rate and haulage capacity of the three ant worker-size categories as susceptibility indices of millet, sorghum, rice and wheat grains. Results of the study indicated significant (P<0.01) difference in all the assessed parameters among the test cereals, worker-ant sizes and their interaction. Millet grains were significantly more susceptible compared to...
Rural household livelihood strategies in drought-prone areas: The case of Gulomekeda District, Eastern Zone of Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia
April 2012
Despite the continuing economic centrality of agriculture in the district, farm households engage and pursue diverse non-farm livelihood activities to cope with diverse challenges and risks such as drought. This paper aims to assess the relative importance of existing livelihood strategies adopted by the different socio-economic groups; the link between households’ ownership and access to different...
Identification and pathogenicity of phytopathogenic bacteria associated with soft rot disease of girasole tuber in Egypt
March 2012
Six bacterial isolates were isolated from naturally infected tubers of girasole plants (Helianthus tuberosus L.) cv. Balady showing soft rot collected from experimental Farm of Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, in El-Minia University during 2010 and 2011 growing seasons. Pathogenicity tests showed various virulence for the isolated bacteria toward girasole tubers was found...
Page 2 of 4, showing 50 records out of 165 total, starting on record 51, ending on 100
