ABSTRACT A significant quantity of yam tubers gets deteriorated in storage due to sprouting, weight loss, and rotting. There was, therefore, the need to identify cost effective ways of extending postharvest life of yam tubers without compromising with the health of consumers. Therefore, field research was conducted to explore the effect of shea butter & palm kernel oil waxing, yam variety, and tuber size on postharvest shelf life of Puna, Asana, and Punjo varieties of white yam (Dioscorea rot...
ABSTRACT Concerns have been expressed by pesticide management specialists about the choice and use of insecticides in cabbage production and fear o f toxic residues on harvested cabbage head. This investigation involves a survey to determine cabbage fanners’ insecticide use patterns and analysis for insecticide residues on samples o f cabbage. The survey revealed that cabbage growers in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan area o f Ghana invariably relied on insecticide retailers/agents for advice o...
ABSTRACT Pot and field studies were carried out at the University of Ghana, Legon, to evaluate the effect of Bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculation and five rates of phosphorus application on growth, nodulation and dry matter production of some promiscuous and non-promiscuous soybean cultivars in pots and finally the effect of three rates of phosphorus and inoculation on growth, nodulation, dry matter production and yield of a promiscuous cultivar "Bengbie" in the field. In the pot experiment, ...
ABSTRACT Maize (corn) is one of the most crucial and strategic cereal crops in Africa. Production occurs in all ten regions of Ghana. Despite significant improvement in food storage methods, many communities in Ghana still use traditional storage practices and structures for keeping food and seed. This has led to short falls in maize supply due to high losses and poor quality. Thus the need to determine the effect of traditional practices and storage structures on the quality of maize stored....
ABSTRACT Three experiments were conducted during the dry season from October 2001 to April 2002 at the University of Ghana Farms and the Food Research Institute, to evaluate two methods of conservation of sweet potato planting material and one method of multiplication of vines were evaluated in this study using two cultivars - Sauti and Okumkom released to farmers by the Crops Research Institute. The study was aimed at developing a technology to ensure the availability of adequate quanti...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the occurrence of high purple beans counts of cocoa produced in Ghana. The investigation consisted of a questionnaire survey of nineteen randomly selected districts in the six cocoa growing regions in Ghana and laboratory studies at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. The studies were carried out from August 2005 to October 2006. Fermentation of cocoa beans for six or seven days did not guarantee the complete removal of anthocyanins and purpleness from the ...
ABSTRACT The research was conducted to investigate the effects of High Yield Technology (HYT) biofertilizers, biochar and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield of pepper. The studies were conducted at the University of Ghana Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre (FOHCREC), Kade from May 2011 to April 2012. The experiment consisted of three factors namely, HYT, Biochar and inorganic fertilizer at three levels each (HYT: 100%, 50% and 0%); Biochar: 7t/ha, 3.5t/ha and 0t/ha; inor...
ABSTRACT Cultural practices as management strategy for beanfly control were examined over four cropping seasons in 1991 and 1992 under f a r m e r’s developed field conditions at Oyugis, in Homa Bay District of Western Kenya. In many parts of East and Central Africa, the beanfly is a major constraint to the production of the bean crop (Phaseolus vulgari s ), Its incidence causes yield losses averaging 47-87%, Control methods used against the pest are mostly insecticides based. Cultural cont...
ABSTRACT Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is an important cash crop in the economy of the people living in the coastal belt of Ghana, specifically Jomoro district in the Western region. Coconut oil is essential for its unique nutritional and economic purposes; which contain medium chain fatty acid and used for pharmaceutical purposes. The quality of coconut oil produced by the small-scale processors cannot be ascertained, as quality control measures and oil recovery cannot be strictly assured. The...
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 traits...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to identify some agronomic characters of maize plants which make them suitable for use in cassava/maize intercropping systems. The feasibility of intercropping cassava with high maize populations was also studied. A strip-split plot design with a parallel-row systematic arrangement in which five maize varieties, IK.84A-2135, IB84A-203 , TZSR-Y-1, 1368 x 5012 and 9450 x 4001 at five population densities of 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, 80,000 and 160.000 plants/ha i...
ABSTRACT The banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) in association with other pests and diseases, represents a threat to the production of plantain (Musa spp., AAB), the preferred staple food in Ghana. Biological control of the banana weevil was considered the most promising management option for small-scale plantain production and studies were, therefore, undertaken to determine the efficacy o f the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin in the management of C...
ABSTRACT A survey of 120 tomato farmers under two production systems was carried out at Tono and Vea in the Upper East region, Derma and Techimentia in the Tano district of the Brong Ahafo region to assess farmers’ knowledge of insect pest problems, production systems and pest management practices with emphasis on pesticide use patterns. Residue levels of Lindane, Endosulfan and Chlorpyrifos insecticides in harvested tomato fruits from Derma, Techimentia, Tono and Vea areas were determ...
ABSTRACT Striga gesnerioides is a devastating parasitic weed of cowpea, especially in Ghana and the rest of West Africa. It is the major cause of cowpea yield reduction in Ghana. Despite seven different races being known across West Africa, the races of the parasite present in Ghana and their diversity have not been studied. This study investigated the distribution and diversity of Striga gesnerioides on cowpea in Ghana. The study revealed widespread distribution of the parasite within the No...
ABSTRACT Striga hermollthica (De.) Benth. infest millions of hectares of land under cereals in sub-Saharan Africa, threatening food security. One of the major crops threatened i~ maize (Zea mays L.), a staple food for many Ghanaians. The objectives of this study were to investigate the combining ability and heritability of Striga-resistant maize inbred lines for the selection ofsuperior lines for hybridization. A diallel cross involving ten (10) maize inbred lines was made to produce forty-f...