Abstract: Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Ethiopia. The yield of the crop is often constrained by low and unbalanced nutrient supply in the soil. This study was undertaken to assess response of garlic variety Chelenko I to vermicompost and mineral N fertilizer application on growth and bulb yield of the crop during the 2016/2017 main rainy season. The treatment consisted of a factorial combination of four levels of vermicompost (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 t ha-1) and five...
Abstract African horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) is an indigenous crop belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The crop has been neglected despite its high potential. Therefore, to conserve the biodiversity of this crop, there is need to promote its domestication and production. However, this can only be realized if its morphology, agronomic and nutritional value is understood. The objective of this study was to determine the agromorphological performance and nutritional composition of hor...
Abstract African horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) is an indigenous crop belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The crop has been neglected despite its high potential. Therefore, to conserve the biodiversity of this crop, there is need to promote its domestication and production. However, this can only be realized if its morphology, agronomic and nutritional value is understood. The objective of this study was to determine the agromorphological performance and nutritional composition of hor...
Abstract The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of cucurbits, tree fruits and related crops in most continents of the world, including Africa. To manage the pest, most farmers in sub-Saharan Africa rely on synthetic chemicals which have detrimental effects to the environment and the habitat. Excessive use of chemicals may also lead to development of pest resistance and Z. cucurbitae has reportedly shown the most increased resistance to the used insecticides. For...
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: Ripening of sugar apple fruit can exhibit a high respiration rate and a high acidity that can increase the deterioration process. Sugar apple (Annonasquamosa) also called custard apple is rich in many vitamins and minerals such as protein, zinc and potassium; also folic acid which is an important vitamin for pregnant and lactating women. It has also composed of numerous other health benefits such as dermatological benefits, asthma prevention, control cholesterol, and healthy bones....
Abstract: Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is a citrus group name for a class of oranges with thin, loose peel.Postharvest losses and decay can be minimized by the use of appropriate pre-harvest and postharvest fungicides, good sanitation of wash water, appropriate storage temperature and relative humidity conditions.Post-harvest losses and quality deterioration of horticultural crops are mostly caused by pests, microbial infection, natural ripening processes and environmental conditions ...
Abstract: Postharvest losses of fruits are a serious problem because of rapid deterioration during handling, transport and storage. Use of edible coating over fruit is used to improve their quality and shelf life. These can be also safely eaten as part of the product and do not add unfavorable properties to the foodstuff. Recently there has been increased interest in using aloe sp. gel as an edible coating material for fruit and vegetables driven by its antifungal activity. Aloe sp.gel has b...
Abstract: Papaya (Carica papaya L.) fruit is rich in vitamin A papain content has mild laxative property. However, it has very short shelf life faces huge postharvest losses. Salicylic acid is reported as a natural and safe phenolic compound which has been found to generate a wide range of metabolic and physiological responses in plants and act as potential bio agent in controlling post harvest loss of horticultural crops and delay in ripening through inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis or a...
Abstract: Fruit ripening are accompanied by changes in several quality aspects such as softening, decrease in total acidity and increase in sugar contents, color development, aroma production. Quality control is challenging as citrus can be stored for extended periods between harvest and consumption. The decay losses in stored orange fruit were mostly brought about by fungus attacks.This study was planned to investigate the effect of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) treatment in improving post...
Abstract: The present study was undertaken to investigate optimization of media in vitro propagation of sweet orange cultivar from Washington, Valencia and tanjelo orange explants. The explants were collected from three sweet orange cultivars. The result indicated the highest shoot response from Washington orange cultivar with maximum shoot proliferation rate (99.75%), shoot number per explant (3.10), shoot length (10.70cm), leaf number per explants (12.50) after three weeks of culture. In a...
Abstract: The study was conducted to determine the major honeybee diseases and pests in selected districts of Amhara Region in harvesting, dearth, and rainy seasons from November 2017 to August 2018. In total, 276 (201 adult bees and 75 brood) samples were diagnosed for honeybee diseases and pests. The prevalence rate, basic risk factors, and the severity of honeybee diseases and pests were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and univariate logistic regression with the aid of S...
Abstract: Despite the vast research on trichome-based resistance as well as plant chemical factors in plant-herbivore interactions in Solanaceous plants, little or no information is available on the association between Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard and these mechanisms in African nightshades. The current study which was carried out from December, 2006 to March, 2009 focused on five African nightshade species viz. Solanum sarrachoides Sendter, S. villosum Mill, S. tarderemotum Bitter...
Abstract: The study was carried out in two sites already with existing mulberry trees comprising three varieties, Kanva , Noi (Thailand), and Embu (local variety). The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of soil fertility and better mulberry varieties (grown locally) on cocoon and silk quality. The study compared the growth and yield performance of the three mulberry varieties being used by farrriers in silkworm rearing. It also involved comparisons of silk production usi...
Abstract: The southern root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is one of the highly polyphagous species of many cultivated plants. The losses associated with RKNs in small holder vegetable farms are not quantified but may range between 30-100% in tropical and subtropics. Application of broad spectrum nematicides is the common method of control and are to be highly toxic to humans and pollute the environment, hence the need for safer alternatives for small scale crop production systems. Bi...