African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6859

Table of Content: 30 July 2015; 10(31)

July 2015

The impact of animals on crop yields in Malawian rural villages

It is essential that the net effect of biodiversity on crop yields is determined; particularly in developing nations, where both increasing food security and reducing biodiversity losses are of high importance. This study modelled the abundance of pests, pollinators and pest-control animals and determined their impact on crop yield within agroecosystems in four rural villages in Malawi. Data on the habitat area,...

Author(s): Jessica Weyell, Felix Eigenbrod, Malcolm Hudson, Dalitso Kafumbata, Mathews Tsirizeni, Sosten Chiotha, Guy Poppy and Simon Willcock

July 2015

Physiological mechanisms of drought tolerance in sorghum, genetic basis and breeding methods: A review

Sorghum is grown in semi-arid to arid regions of the world and serves as the staple food for about half a billion people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The adaptation of grain sorghum to a wide range of environmental conditions has led to the evolution and existence of extensive genetic variation for drought tolerance. Consequently, sorghum is expected to play an increasingly important role in agriculture and meeting...

Author(s): Beyene Amelework, Hussien Shimelis, Pangirayi Tongoona and Mark Laing

July 2015

Genetic diversity of traditional genotypes of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Algeria by pheno-morphological and agronomic traits

Barley ranks third after durum and bread wheat grain production in Algeria. In this study, genetic diversity of twenty nine traditional genotypes of barley was assessed using twenty seven pheno-morphological and agronomic traits in presence of four controls. Very high significant differences were found between genotypes for all quantitative characters statistically analyzed, indicating existence of a great variability...

Author(s): Rahal-Bouziane H., Berkani S., Merdas S., Nait Merzoug S. and Abdelguerfi A.

July 2015

Characterization of accidents involving tractors in Brazilian federal highways in the state of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais state has the largest road network within Brazil on which thousands of vehicles travel daily. Due the increasing in the number of tractors in Brazil, traffic incidents may have also increased. Therefore, the present work aimed to characterize accidents involving tractors in Minas Gerais federal highways through the following indicators, event type, crash causes, time of the day in which the episode...

Author(s): Deivielison Ximenes Siqueira Macedo, Leonardo de Almeida Monteiro, Viviane Castro dos Santos, Carlos Alessandro Chioderoli and Daniel Albiero

July 2015

Anaerobic biodigestion in Indian batch-type biodigester, using poultry litter as substrate for the production of biogas

Poultry litter is being produced in large quantities due to the accelerating growth of the broiler industry in recent years, which implies a greater energy dependence and cost of these systems. This study seeks to evaluate the capacity of an anaerobic batch biodigester to produce biogas from poultry litter. To this end, three tests were conducted: 1st: Poultry Litter + Water - [PL + W]1, 2nd: Poultry Litter + Water -...

Author(s): Sideney Becker Onofre., Dirceu Abatti, Douglas Refosco, Amarildo Antonio Tessaro, Jean Alisson Becker Onofre and Alessandra Buss Tessaro

July 2015

Energy potential of poultry litter for the production of biogas

Poultry litter, a waste product from broiler farming, can be transformed into biogas when subjected to anaerobic biodigestion. This study proposes to evaluate the potential of poultry litter for energy generation in order to meet the energy demands of the poultry production chain in the southwest region of the state of Parana - Brazil, when used as a substrate for the production of biogas. Based on the volumes of biogas...

Author(s): Sideney Becker Onofre., Dirceu Abatti, Douglas Refosco, Amarildo Antonio Tessaro, Jean Alisson Becker Onofre and Alessandra Buss Tessaro

July 2015

Applying of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on postharvest ‘Nam Dok Mai No.4’ mango fruits delay ripening and maintain quality

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide donor, on postharvest ripening and quality of mango fruit cv. Nam Dok Mai No.4. The fruits were dipped in 1 or 2 mM of SNP solution for 30 min while control fruits were dipped in tap water for 30 min. After treatment, all fruits were stored for 18 days at 13°C and RH 90%. Both SNP doses showed significantly reduced...

Author(s): Tran Thi Thuy Linh, Pongphen Jitareerat, Sukanya Aimla-or, Varit Srilaong,  Panida Boonyaritthongchai and Apiradee Uthairatanakij

July 2015

Physiological responses of Medicago truncatula growth under prolonged hypoxia stress

Flooding is an important environmental factor restricting plant growth and productivity throughout the world. Growth, organic solute accumulation and proteolytic activity of Medicago truncatula were determined in hydroponically grown plants exposed to hypoxia during 30, 45 and 60 days. Obtained results showed that hypoxia until 45 days have no significant impact on the dry matter production. However, after 60 days of...

Author(s): Elmsehli Sarra, Jemail Jihène and  Smiti-Achi Samira

July 2015

Stability and genetic divergence study of single cross hybrids in maize (Zea mays L.)

A study of stability and genetic divergence was carried out on 22 experimental maize hybrids for 3 years, at the Maize Breeding Research Station, Poonch, India, to evaluate potential crosses particularly for double cross hybrid with a view that well developed single cross hybrids represent an interesting potential base population for double cross hybrid, as they have high and stable yield and desirable agronomic...

Author(s): Praveen Singh, Sanjeev Kumar Salgotra, Amit Kumar Singh, Magdeshwar Sharma, Ajay Gupta and Muneeshwar Sharma

July 2015

Estimation of orange yield in citrus orchard based on digital photography

The citriculture is an activity that has relevance in the Brazilian agribusiness. Many researchers have sought to develop methods for oranges yield estimation, however few are simple and accurate. Thus, the aim of this work is to develop a practical method to estimate number of fruits and fruit´s mass per plant of sweet orange cv. “Valência” [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] orange grafted on...

Author(s): Glauco de Souza Rolim, Lucas Eduardo de Oliveira Aparecido, Rafael Vasconcelos Ribeiro and Alan Rodrigo Panosso