ABSTRACT Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is well known regarding its quality and nutritional value all over the world but imbalances of fertilizer nutrients severely affect its quality. If exposed to stresess, either biotic (organisms) or abiotic (arising from imbalances of environmental factors) e.g water; growth and productivity is affected. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of calcium and potassium on yield and quality responses in two different tomato varieties under ...
ABSTRACT Rice is the third most important cereal grain in Kenya after maize and wheat. It has been grown by smallholder farmers as a commercial food crop under irrigated and rain fed ecologies .Low soil N fertility, prevalent in smallholder farmers’ fields is a major constraint to upland rice production mostly under rain fed ecology. The ever escalating fertilizer prices have made the input to be unaffordable to most smallholder farmers who are resource poor. Efficient use of nitrogen in ag...
ABSTRACT East African farmers have been facing low crop productivity as indicated by low yields of major staples, maize and rice, leading to food insecurity. As a result, the respective governments have offered solutions such as the introduction of high yielding maize and rice varieties. Farmers have expanded their farms into productive areas such as wetlands in an attempt to increase output to counter the effects of climate change complications, population pressure, and the declining product...
ABSTRACT Mozambique lags behind all other Southern and Eastern African countries in maize production leading to maize imports. Soil nutrient depletion, lack of combination of organic resources with mineral resources coupled with high soil acidity has been identified as the main causes of the declining crop yields. Maize yield in smallholder systems in central Mozambique can be increased by optimum utilization of mineral fertilizers combined with cattle manure and other locally available organ...
ABSTRACT This study sought to examine the different ways in which secondary school based clubs in Jinja District, Uganda addressed Nile basin environmental threats. The ultimate goal of the study was to enhance secondary school based clubs capacity to address the environmental threats in Uganda effectively. Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), photographs and observation methods from selected secondary schools. Secondary data was gathered fr...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen is a major mineral nutrient limiting growth, development and production of crops in Kenya. The cost of production is way beyond the purchasing power of smallholder farmers, coupled with the low availability of nitrogen in the soil has significantly contributed to the reduction in rice productivity in Kenya. In rice growing regions, including Busia, Kisumu and Kirinyaga counties, there is evidence of pollution due to high losses of N experienced from agricultural fields. Redu...
ABSTRACT Feeding trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of graded levels of raw and cooked turmeric rhizome meal on the performance of broiler birds. Turmeric rhizome was washed with water and divided into two batches of 40kg each. The first batch was crushed, sundried for 3 days, ground to produce raw turmeric rhizome meal and bagged. The second batch was cooked for an hour, crushed with a roller and sun-dried for 3 days. Both the raw and cooked sundried turmeric rhizomes were then gr...
ABSTRACT Mayfly order (Ephemeroptera) is a widely distributed taxon that is used commonly in the biological assessment of water quality due to its sensitivity to changes in water quality. Despite its values in water quality assessment, studies on the taxa are still very scanty in most tropical countries, including Kenya. Water quality deterioration remains a vital threat in most rivers. The primary objective of this study, was therefore to investigate the spatial and temporal changes in commu...
ABSTRACT Amaranthus spp is amongst the most preferred African leafy vegetables in the tropics. It contains numerous vitamins, minerals and bioactive phytochemical compounds for nutritional and health benefits. Nitrogen is a vital mineral element for plant growth which affects not only the biomass accumulation but also the nutritional quality of higher plants. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different N forms on growth, mineral elements, anti-nutrient and phytochemicals ac...
ABSTRACT Green (fresh) maize (Zea mays L.) provides food security and income to farmers especially when other crops are still in the field. However, research on green maize variety is scarcely reported in literature or information on suitable genetic material (germplasm) for green maize production. Developing maize for fresh maize production in the southeastern Nigeria was carried out in the Center for Agricultural Research, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal Universi...
ABSTRACT Low agriculture productivity and arable land distribution is a major challenge in Rwanda. The obvious consequences is that a substantial number of rural families who subsist on agriculture have less than 1ha, and where there is no use of fertilizers and most of that land is not arable which will cause land degradation, poverty and low household income. In the vision 2020, Rwanda intends to move from a low level income country to a middle level economy by 2020. The Girinka program is ...
ABSTRACT The study was designed to compare productivity and efficiency of Low External Input Technology and High External Input Technology Farms in Imo State. Specifically, it aimed at comparing the socio- economic characteristics of the two groups of farmers as well as their productivities, ascertain the factors influencing aggregate and individual resource productivities, determine production efficiency and returns to scale in the two farm types. The study was conducted in Imo State, Niger...
ABSTRACT This research was carried out to characterize, classify, and evaluate soils of four geomorphic units in Oguta Imo State Southeastern Nigeria. Four Pedons, each was located in each geomorphic unit. ] soil sampling was carried out in the study site, sixteen surface soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected, four from each of the geomorphic units using an auger giving a total of thirty three soil samples which was chosen to represent the main morphological variations and to present mapping...
ABSTRACT Soybean (Glycine max. (L)Merril) is one of the most popular pulses in the world. It has been known to man for a long time since its first record goes as far as 2500 BC in China and Manchuria. Glycine max belongs to the subgenus soja, which also contains G. soja and G. gracilis. Soybean is grown primarily for the production of seed, has a multitude of uses in the food and industrial sectors, and represents one of the major sources of edible vegetable oil and of proteins for livestock ...
ABSTRACT The soils of Owerri area, Southeastern Nigeria were studied with a view to characterizing and classifying them. Four locations namely Umuhu (control), Amakohia (summit), Akpodim (midslope) and Ife (footslope) were selected in the study area, to assess the impact of topography on soil properties. Three profile pits were dug in each site. 65 soil samples were collected and examined with regards to their morphological, physical and chemical properties. Test for variance was carried out...