ABSTRACT This study was conducted with a view to identify the socio-economic characteristics of processors of Vitellaria paradoxa and Parkia biglobosa; to examine the role of the rural dwellers in the sourcing and processing of V. paradoxa and P. biglobosa; to examine the different benefits that accrue to commercial processing of V. paradoxa and P. biglobosa and to investigate strategies put in place for sustainable use of V. paradoxa and P. biglobosa in the study area. Three (3) Local Gover...
Abstract Monthly variation in litterfall of Gmelinaarborea stands aged 28, 29, and 30 years were studied for 13 months in 2005 - 2006 with litter traps in three 20m x 20m plots randomly selected in Gmelinaarborea stands in Shasha Forest Reserve (SFR),Osun State, Nigeria. Monthly collections of litter fractions per stands were sorted into leaves, twigs, reproductive structures and others. Litters according to fractions per stand per month were oven dried at 80°C for 48 hours. Samples were cr...
ABSTRACT The maize in a weaner rabbit diet was substituted with cassava waste meal (CWM) at 0,25,50, 75 and 100%. The effects of these treatments on the performance, nutrient digestibility and haematology of the rabbits were evaluated in a 70-day feeding trail period. Twenty-five littermate New Zealand white rabbits between 6 - 7 weeks old averaging 750 ±25.23g were used. The rabbits were randomly alloted to five treatments and each animal was individually accommodated in metal cages. Feed a...
ABSTRACT Development practitioners are constantly in search of appropriate media to reach specific target groups in the development process. Newspapers are relatively more suitable for the /iterates. This study therefore investigated-the readership of newspapers among college of agriculture students in Oyo state. A total of 162 respondents were randomly selected and administered with questionnaire on areas such as newspapers reading status, types of newspapers read, frequency of reading of ne...
Abstract A 49-day feeding trial involving 180 1-day-old Abhor acre broilers was carried out to evaluate growth and carcass quality of broilers fed cassava leaf meal and cassava peel meals used as replacements of soya bean meal and maize at 20% respectively. Four groups of 45 birds per group of 15 birds per replicate consisting of three replicates per group. Group A served as control (cassava leaf meal (0%) and peelings meal (0%)), Group B ( 20% cassava peelings -20% leaf meal), C (20% leaf m...
ABSTRACT Poverty remains the major obstacle to economic emancipation and achievement of development agenda in Nigeria. Worse still, rising food prices pose a major threat to feeding the teeming population in Nigeria. Declining food production, high population growth, and negative food trade balance combine to worsen the food and poverty situations in Nigeria. We stand on the premise that surging and volatile food prices could have a hardest hit on those who could not afford it – the poor. T...
Summary A 96-hour bioassay was conducted using the water soluble fraction of a Nigerian light crude oil sample on Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 mls of water soluble fractions (WSF) of the oil were added to 1000 litres of de-chlorinated tap water to form 0, 25, 50 , 75 and 100 parts per million representing treatments 1 to 5 respectively. Each treatment had two replicates with fifteen fish per replicate. At the end of the 96-hour period of exposure, the fish were tra...
ABSTRACT Soil erosion is a major threat to sustainable agriculture in the humid tropics. Management practices adopted to control soil erosion and improve soil quality include mulching and the use of Vetiver Grass Strips (VGS). Integrating VGS with mulch could be more effective in controlling soil erosion than VGS or mulching alone. However, information on the effectiveness of combined utilisation of VGS and Vetiver Mulch (VM) in controlling soil erosion and improving crop yield is scanty...
ABSTRACT Effective management planning tools for forest require growth and yield functions that can produce detailed predictions of stand development. Models such as Gamma Distribution Function (GDF), Weibull, Beta, and similar functions have been used to predict growth and yield of forest stands. However, information on the use of GDF in forest management has not been fully documented. The development of a program using Java programming language for GDF to predict growth and yield of Tecton...
ABSTRACT With the growing concerns about the likely implications of climate change, the long term sustainability of conventional agricultural approaches and biodiversity loss have contributed to a growing interest in the potential of the so-called underutilised crops to address food, nutritional, and income security challenges. In support of their wider use, advocates of underutilised crops associate a number of benefits with them. These include agronomic and nutritional benefits such as drou...
ABSTRACT Users of wood still have preferences despite increasing reduction in the availability of wood species. This study was therefore carried out to assess the users’ preferences for sawn wood species in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey study, which employed questionnaire and on-site observations, was used. A sample of 210 respondents was purposively selected from twenty one associations’ of sawn wood users comprising mixtures of active furniture makers and carpent...
Abstract This study was carried out to estimate the value of the environmental service functions of Uzere mangrove forest using the Willingness to pay method. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain information on the willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental service functions of Uzere mangrove forest. Contingent valuation approach was used to elicit information on WTP and the socio-economic variables that influence the WTP. Data were obtained from a systematically sampled 300 residen...
ABSTRACT The study evaluated the willingness of Herbal Medicine Practitioners (HMPs) and Herb Vendors (HVs) in Ibadan, Nigeria to contribute financially to medicinal plants conservation projects. Data was collected using structured questionnaires administered on 124 HMPs and 83 HVs randomly selected from fourteen herbal associations and marketers respectively. Results showed that 79.03%of all HMPs were males and 20.97% females while 83.13% of HVs were females and 16.87% males. All the HMPs an...
ABSTRACT A laboratory evaluation of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) as wood preservative on sapwood of Triplochiton scleroxylon test blocks sawn into 20mm x 20mm x 300mm sizes against Trametes cingulata and Lentinus lepideus was studied using crushing method. The crude extract was diluted with n-hexane, volume for volume. Four levels of CNSL concentration were tested at 4%, 8%, 12% and 16%. The treated test blocks and control test blocks were exposed to the infection regions of the pathogens i...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen is a major soil nutrient for the growth and development of crops. Nitrogen deficiency in-between pre-nodulation and nodulation in soya bean is critical to enhancing its growth and yield. Decision Support Systems for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) model like CROPGRO-soya bean could be a useful tool for predicting starter nitrogen requirement in soya bean. However, information on starter nitrogen application to overcome Ndeficiency-induced-stress during early seedling growth...