June 2017

Morpho-agronomic characteristics of cowpea under different environments and planting densities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and production components of cowpea ‘BRS Nova Era’ under different planting densities in two growing conditions. The experiment followed an experimental design of randomised blocks, which comprised two environments (Pesqueira and Lajedos cities, Brazil) and five planting densities (6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 plants m-1). In Pesqueira, all production components were...

Author(s): Antônio Félix da Costa, Alexandre Bosco de Oliveira, Leandro Silva do Vale, José Félix de Brito Neto, Ivomberg Dourado Magalhães and Rener Luciano de Souza Ferraz

June 2017

Phosphorus fractionation and P sorption capacities of Fincha Sugar Estate soils, Western Ethiopia

Soil chemical forms of Phosphorus and P sorption capacities of Fincha Sugar Estate soils were studied using samples collected from luvisols, vertisols and fluvisols of the farm. P forms were sequentially extracted following standard P fractionation procedure. In sorption study, 3 g of soil sample was equilibrated with 30 ml of 0.01 M CaCl2 containing various amounts of KH2PO4. Data were fitted into Langmuir and...

Author(s): Fekadu Fanjana, Wassie Haile and Gashaw Mitike

June 2017

Environmental and genetic concerns on genetic gains via selection in Pequi mother tree for seeds emergence

Genetic (populations and progenies) and environmental (planting date, germination stimulator, insecticide and fungicide) effects were evaluated on Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) seeds emergence. Two Completely Randomized Block Design (E1 and E2, on 2005 and 2009 years, respectively) experiments were set up on field. Seeds for E2 were harvested in mother trees whose seeds showed higher germination rate in E1. The...

Author(s): Samuel Cunha de Oliveira Giordani, Paulo Henrique Rodrigues dos Santos, Miranda Titon and José Sebastião Cunha Fernandes

June 2017

Effect of plant density on oil yield of safflower

The definition of the ideal plant population is important for good safflower agricultural management in Brazil, as they are gaining importance as oleaginous plant. Two experiments were conducted in an Rhodic Acrudox in 2014 in Cascavel, PR, Brazil, to evaluate the effect of plant density on growth, yield components and grain yield in safflower oil during autumn and winter seasons. The experimental design was a...

Author(s): Marinez Carpiski Sampaio, Reginaldo Ferreira Santos, Doglas Bassegio, Edmar Soares de Vasconselos, Lucas da Silveira, Natasha Barchinski Galant Lenz, Cristiano Fernando Lewandoski and Luciene Kozue Tokuro

June 2017

Comparison of spatial interpolators for variability analysis of soil chemical properties in Cuamba (Mozambique)

The knowledge of spatial distribution of soil attributes, particularly chemical ones, which is very relevant for agricultural planning. Several studies have focused on spatial interpolation of soil properties, but only a few of them have been undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to analyse the spatial variability of hydrogen potential (pH) and electric conductivity (EC) within an agricultural region in...

Author(s): José do Rosário Bofana and Ana Cristina Costa

June 2017

Diversity of cultural practices used in banana plantations and possibilities for fine-tuning: Case of North Kivu and Ituri provinces, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Diverse cultural practices have been communicated to and/or applied by resource-poor households over the past two decades to improve the overall farm health and crop tolerance to biotic/abiotic factors. This study assessed the current diversity and use of cultural practices on banana fields in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Interview schedules coupled with farm diagnosis...

Author(s): Charles Sivirihauma, Walter Ocimati, Kambale Valimuzigha, Muller Kamira, Lusenge Vutseme, Jules Ntamwira, Mariamu Bumba and Guy Blomme