ABSTRACT The effects of five weed management techniques and a weed-free control on weed infestation and on the growth and yield of a plantain landrace (Musa spp. AAB Agbagba) were evaluated during the two cropping seasons of 2005 and 2006 at Nsukka, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in randomised complete block design (RCBD) with six treatments and replicated four times. The treatments comprised six weed management techniques, which consisted of slashing at 8-weekly intervals, mulching w...
ABSTRACT Two field experiments were conducted in 2007 and 2008 cropping seasons at the Department of Crop Science research farm, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to characterize some Nigeria cucurbita genotypes with respect to morphology, nutrient composition and the cytology. The results obtained showed that Shannon diversity index (Hs) was 4.136 which suggests high level of diversity among the Nigerian cucurbita species evaluated. Cucurbita moschata had the highest Shannon diversity index...
ABSTRACT Striga hermonthica constitutes a major constraint to maize production and productivity. It is the largest single biological constraint to food production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hence there is the need to develop hybrids that are tolerant to this constraint. Knowledge and understanding of Striga resistance in early maturing maize inbreds are crucial for the developments of hybrids adapted to Striga-infested environments in the sub-region as well as for enhancing breeding strategies. T...
ABSTRACT Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops cultivated in Ghana and constitutes part of the daily diet of most of the populace. Ghana produces 366,772t/ha annually, yet imports 25,000t/ha of tomato paste and $9.9million worth of fresh tomatoes from Burkina Faso and Europe annually to fill the supply gap which puts a lot of pressure on the country’s GDP. To help minimize importation and bridge the demand gap, several interventions have been proposed including greenhouse prod...
ABSTRACT Knowledge of existing diversity especially at the genotypic level in plant population is crucial for the effective breeding, conservation, management, and efficient utilization of plant genetic resources (PGR) (Mondini et al., 2009). However, Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lamarck), a common and popular plant growing in almost every part of the country with several uses and benefits still remains underutilized tropical crop in Ghana. This is due to the fact that the crop has either receiv...
ABSTRACT Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth infests millions of hectares of land under cereals in sub-Saharan Africa, reducing production and threatening food security. A field experiment was carried out at the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) trial farms at Nyankpala. The trial was to determine the combination of maize varieties, ammonium sulphate and chicken manure that could enhance the performance of maize in infested Striga field. In addition, the effect of treatments on the ...
ABSTRACT Mango bacterial black spot disease is one of the most devastating diseases of mangoes worldwide. The disease was observed in some mango orchards in the Lower Manya and Asuogyaman districts of the Eastern region and North Tongu district of the Volta region of Ghana. The objectives of this study were to assess farmer’s perception and knowledge on the prevalence, spread and economic importance of the mango bacterial black spot disease, determine the disease incidence and severity in m...
ABSTRACT Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is primarily grown for its starch containing tuberous roots, which are a major source of dietary energy in the tropics. It is highly perishable and begins to degenerate shortly after harvest. Cassava in the fresh form contains cyanide, which is extremely toxic to humans and animals. These factors make the processing of cassava into a dry form a necessity. Processing is essential for the removal of cyanides from cassava roots. This post-harvest nece...
ABSTRACT Three experiments were conducted to evaluate cassava, a tropical root crop, as a source of energy in diets containing all vegetable protein or 5% fish meal which is a source of readily available essential amino acids required by growing chicks. The biological metabolizable energy (ME) was determined replacing part of the basal diet with the test materials (cassava meal Grades I and II combined and Grade III. Grades I and II have little of the rind and outer cover whereas Grade III co...
SUMMARY Two field experiment where conducted to evaluate the performance of 142 prodigenes
ABSTRACT Two field studies were carried out from July 2012 to February 2013 to determine the efficacy of four groups of herbicide on weed control, growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and to investigate the influence of their residual effect on weed succession, rotation crop, soil nutrient status and microbial population at the University Farm, Legon. The experiments, laid out in randomized complete block design, consisted of four replications of eight herbicide treatments from four herb...
ABSTRACT Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr) production in Uganda is being constrained by a diversity of factors including pineapple heart rot disease (PHRD). Information on PHRD causal pathogen is limited. Also, management options are clear. The objectives of this study were, therefore, to identify the casual pathogens causing PHRD and assess the in vitro reaction of the causal pathogens to fungicides. Pathogen isolation was done using amended corn meal agar. Macro and micro-morphological ch...
ABSTRACT A g r e e n h o u s e p o t e x p e r i m e n t w a s s e t up t o f i n d the effect of added p h o sp h o ru s on the ava ilability and u p t a k e o f P s M n a n d F e b y r i c e p l a n t u n d e r f l o o d e d conditions. Two soil s e r ie s Akuse and Amo (verti« sol and Inceptisol, re sp ectiv ely ) were used. The e x p e r i m e n t was of a s i m p l e f a c t o r i a l d e s i g n c o m p r i sing of four l e v e l s of P with and without r i c e p l an t on both soi...
ABSTRACT Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr) is of tremendous imponance as a fruit crop in Uganda. However, production in Uganda is currently threatened by outbreaks of pineapple heart rot disease (PHRD). PHRD is the most widespread and devastating disease of pineapple in Uganda and can cause tremendous yield loss. Although, some preliminary information exists on PHRD in Uganda, the yield loss attributed to the disease bas not quantified neither is there any information on sources of resist...
Abstract Forty-five cowpea accessions, randomly selected from cowpea germplasm from four cowpea-growing regions of Ghana, namely, Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Eastern Regions, were characterized and evaluated at the Plant Genetic Resources Unit of the Crops Research Institute at Bunso with the objective to determine the range of variability in the samples with respect to vegetative, inflorescence and fruit characters. The variability in the samples was used to initiate hybridization...