An experiment to investigate the effects of nitrogen, phosphorus type and inoculation on grain yield of soybeans in two soil series. Soybean ranks first as an oilseed crop in the world and been a legume, it goes through a biological N-fixation process which is the second most important biological process after photosynthesis. Low soil fertility results in low crop yield which affects the livelihood of farmers and increasing yield of oil seed crops such as soybean has the potential to save Gha...
In Sub-Saharan Africa, rice is a staple food as well as a cash crop for both commercial and smallholder farmers. However, the yield is very low, because of inherent low soil fertility, as well as poor agronomic techniques. Multiple-location studies were conducted at Botanga (irrigated) and Nyankpala (rain-fed) to determine the most effective way to apply Zn and S to rice and to assess the effect of Zn and S, on rice grain yield. The treatments evaluated were foliar spray of NPK [Zn + S], NPK ...
Maize is an important cereal crop that requires a high dose of fertilizer for optimum growth and productivity. While primary nutrients and sulphur are known to impact on the crop’s growth, data remains relatively scanty on the comparative productivity of these four nutrients. A field experiment was conducted at Bolgatanga municipality and Bongo district of Ghana during the 2020 cropping season to assess the relative agronomic productivity of each primary nutrient (N, P and K) and of sulphur...
Contract farming (CF) is emerging as a critical intervention to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian small-scale soybean farmers. Farmers can achieve this if they become more efficient. Government and non-governmental organizations, including the Savanna Farmers Marketing Company (SFMC), the Northern Development Authority (NDA), and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), have begun contracting farmers to cultivate soybeans in Ghana's northern region. Farmers are provided with inputs s...
Food insecurity and ill-health have become topical issues that both researchers and development agents are concerned about. Food consumption directly links agriculture to health outcomes. Achieving zero hunger as enshrined in SDG 2 requires interventions that target those families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. In Ghana, food insecurity differs across regions and the socioeconomic status of households and individuals. Moreover, very little is known about the distribution of foo...
The yield of soybean in Ghana stands at 1.45 t ha-1 out of an achievable harvest of 3 t ha-1 and among the contributory reasons for the low yields are inherent low soil fertility and lack of adequate indigenous bacteria in the soils used for soybean production. Amendment of the soil is believed to hold the key to improve yields of soybean. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculant (USDA 110 and USDA 136 stains) in combination with soil amendm...
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a widely cultivated cereal crop in varied environments. It is grown for its high-quality grains that are high in carbohydrates. Rice production has employed more than 20 million African farmers, and it is estimated that rice provides a living for roughly 100 million people. A field experiment was carried out at two locations during the 2020 farming season, to examine the relative responses of rice to soil P and foliar P, and if foliar P application could compensate f...
A study was conducted in the north east region of Ghana to ascertain the vegetables produced and marketed by farmers and traders respectively and determine the causes of post-harvest losses among the farmers and traders. Multistage random sampling procedure was used to select respondents and a set of structured questionnaires were administered. The data collected were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. 126 vegetable farmers and 45 vegetable traders were interviewed. The findings sh...
Abstract The study was undertaken to analyse gender dimension of the role of mobile money services on financial inclusion in the Tolon District of the Northern region of Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive study design in achieving the study objective. The study used 200 men and 200 women for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources for the study. Questionnaire, interview guide, focus group discussion and observational check list ...
Abstract Leafspot disease is a major yield limiting factor in groundnut growing areas in Northern Ghana. This study was to monitor the progression of the disease in ten selected groundnut genotypes. Six were derived from a cross between BC3F6 interspecific introgression lines (43-09-03-02 or 60-02-03-02) and Spanish groundnut genotypes (Schubert and TS32-1) while the remaining four are released groundnut varieties in Ghana. Nkatiesari and Chinese served as the resistant and susceptible checks...
Abstract Nitrogen is very essential for every crop production due to its function in plant growth and development. It is an essential component of DNA and proteins which are the building blocks of life. Notwithstanding its vast importance, nitrogen is worldwide considered as one of the most limiting factors of production. The need to meet the huge nitrogen requirement has necessitated the use of synthetic fertilizer which continued application affects soil health, environment and agricultural...
Abstract The cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) in northern Ghana is synonymous with fertilizer application, but efficient nutrient uptake and utilization are major factors that influence yield parameters and grain yield. The impact of neem cake (NC) and its oil as soil amendments on nutrient uptake and efficiency of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), as well as growth, yield components and yield of maize, was investigated. The trial was conducted at two locations, Tamale Techni...
Abstract The study was set to investigate the effects of climate change adaptation strategies on farm household welfare in northern region. Drawing its roots from the sustainable climate change adaptation strategies, it first identified climate shocks faced by farmers in northern region, examine factors that influence farmer choice of climate adaptation strategies employed by farmers in Northern Ghana, examine the Effects of climate change information on adoption intensity, as well as determi...
Abstract The Department of Crop Science in the University for Development studies has produced mutant soybean genotypes with improved agronomic traits. A Series of evaluations of these mutant genotypes have been carried out at different agroecological zones in Ghana and high-yielding mutants such as 150 Gy, 200 Gy, 250 Gy, and 300 Gy have been identified. The present study used the above genotypes as planting material for the studies in the dry season and rainy seasons of the year 2020 to eva...
Abstract Food insecurity persists in emerging countries as a result of low agricultural production and rising food prices. Despite the significant impact of credit on agricultural output, most smallholder farmers, particularly in rural regions, lack access to credit. Social networks have a significant impact on farmer behavior and, could influence their credit decisions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social networks on smallholder access to institutional input cre...