ABSTRACT Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an edible crop produced in Ghana for both the local and export markets. The perishable nature of the fruit results in huge postharvest losses. The use of edible coatings to preserve commodities is inexpensive, easy to apply, requires less labour, technology and improves fruit qualities. However usage of this technology has raised some concerns with major stakeholders of the fruits and vegetables industry regarding health, safety, availability and cost...
ABSTRACT Pineapple farmers in Ghana are not able to meet their potential yield. Organizations are making conscious efforts to help boost pineapple production by training farmers on topics such as input use and farm management. It is necessary to ascertain if some gaps in production still exist that need to be addressed. The study sought to identify the influence of inputs on pineapple production in conjunction with the production of other crops. It also estimated the technical efficiency s...
Abstract The effect of three different moisture and shade regimes on the seedling growth of three Dura x Pisifera oil palm progenies was investigated at the Oil Palm Research Institute, Kusi between July 1998 and February 2000. A split plot design with four replications was used. Data were collected on leaf number per plant, plant height, butt circumference and leaf area as well as dry weight of plant parts and total plant dry weight. Growth analysis was performed and correlation among trait...
ABSTRACT Groundnut has been identified as the most important leguminous crop in Ghana both in terms of volume of production and export. Its production has faced numerous challenges over the past decades in Ghana as the productivity of groundnut continues to decline despite the abundant resources that support its growth. The question is, what then is responsible for the declining productivity levels of groundnut in Ghana? The study sought to estimate the productivity levels and technical ef...
ABSTRACT Opportunity International, a private financial institution has made efforts to support cocoa farmers in Ghana through the establishment of input credit scheme with the aim of enhancing access to inputs to improve productivity of farmers. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether access to inputs improves productivity of smallholder cocoa farmers in the stated districts of the Western Region of Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to select two districts from the regio...
ABSTRACT Pension contributions address old age income, insecurity and vulnerability and also improve the standard of living. It is the only investment that qualifies an individual to enjoy regular income, and other benefits till death, after contributing for a minimum number of years. This thesis therefore assessed poultry agribusiness workers’ perception, knowledge and attitude towards informal voluntary pension. It also assessed the factors that influence a poultry workers’ choice, wi...
ABSTRACT The potential of cowpea to address food security in Burkina Faso in particular is well established. However, there is limited information on drought tolerance and diversity in the germplasm in Burkina Faso and farmers’ perceptions on the effects of drought and their varietal preferences are not known. The present study was, therefore, conducted to: (1) identify farmers’ perceptions on the impact of drought on cowpea production and identify their preferences regarding cultivar...
ABSTRACT Pelleting materials and soil amendments have the ability to enhance nitrogen fixation through improved nodulation in leguminous species. Pot and field experiments were conducted in the Sinna Garden, Department of Crop Science, and University Farm, University of Ghana, Legon, during the 2018 minor and 2019 major rainy seasons respectively, to access the effect of seed pelleting with different materials and different soil amendments on nodulation, growth and yield of soybean (Glycine m...
Abstract Information is a key resource for agricultural and rural development. Farmers require agricultural extension services to improve their agricultural productivity. However, this does not appear to happen as agricultural extension is constraint with limited number of agricultural extension agents, inadequate logistics for extension agents and late release of funds for extension activities. To contribute to improving agricultural extension services, this study seeks to determine the inf...
ABSTRACT The reactive nature of phosphorus leads to the formation of insoluble Fe, Al and Ca bound phosphate compounds in highly weathered tropical soils, thus limiting P availability for plant uptake. Biochar with its heterogeneous surface properties can influence phosphorus dynamics in tropical soils. To examine phosphorus fractions in a biochar-amended Plinthaqualf, samples were taken from low yielding soils in northern Ghana that had three cycles of vegetable production under clean and w...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted in the Northern guinea and Sudan savannas of Zaria and Kano, Nigeria to: (i) identify cowpea production constraints and assess farmer and consumer perceptions and preferences on grain quality traits in cowpea, (ii) assess the variability of grain nutritional values (protein, iron and zinc contents) of cowpea accessions from Africa and other parts of the world, (iii) determine the mode of inheritance of iron and zinc contents in cowpea grains and (iv) determin...
ABSTRACT Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) is a popular exotic species in Ghana, widely grown in industrial plantations and small scale community woodlots. In spite of its importance, limited information exists on the growth and yield of this species. Presented here are the results of a preliminary study aimed at assessing the growth and yield potential and developing provisional yield models for the management of teak in Northern Ghana. Data were collected from 100 temporary sample plots from p...
ABSTRACT The dissemination of the relevant information for agricultural production is the institutional duty of all stakeholders committed to the development of agriculture of which the agricultural extension agent and his organisation play a prominent role. As a formal public (government funded) institution, the agricultural extension service has been observed to be undergoing a period of change in respect to the provision of material and financial resources to carry extension activities. As...
ABSTRACT Demand for rice from developing countries is steadily increasing, replacing most of the coarse grains and root crops as the major source of dietary calories. Food insecurity in many Africa countries is inevitable if efficient procedures for boosting productivity, decreasing cost of production, and protecting the environment are not taken into account. The per capita consumption of rice in Ghana is currently about 24 kg per annum. Consumption of rice will continuing to go up due to ra...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted among one hundred and thirty (130) participants; 120 farmers and 10 buyers. The purpose of the study is to examine the production of watermelon as a high value crop in contributing to livelihood of smallholder farmers in the Bawku West District (BWD) in the Upper East Region (U/E/R) of Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives: to determine the relationship between personal characteristics of smallholders and level of participat...