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 Cassava is an important food security crop in Ghana and in the wake of climate change there is the need for plant breeders to develop varieties with high water use efficiency as well as high photosynthetic rate in order to adapt to the changing climate. Thus, the photosynthetic rates of eight cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) varieties were non-destructively evaluated using photosynthesis meter miniPPM300, from June 2014 to May 2015, with the aim of selecting varieties with high pho...
ABSTRACT Rice yellow mottle disease (RYMD), caused by Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), is a very damaging disease of rice in Sub-Saharan Africa. A participatory rural appraisal was conducted in Burkina Faso to assess farmers' awareness of rice production constraints with emphasis on rice yellow mottle disease (RYMD) and its management. RYMD was mentioned by farmers as the most important rice disease. Management practices included replacement of rice varieties and spray of pesticides. Farmers'...
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 In Togo, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is mainly cultivated on highly weathered acid soils where plant-available phosphorus is generally deficient due to the inherent low P availability of acid soils. Suboptimal and unbalanced P fertilizer rates used by rainfed rice farmers in Togo is often the main cause for low yields. The blanket P fertilizer recommendation applied to the rainfed lowland rice acid soils is outdated and thus, does not take into account the current fertility status of the ...
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 An assessment of the sustainability of food crop production in the fadamas of southern guinea savanna of Niger State, Nigeria was carried out within the framework of small-scale farming households utilizing fadama for the cultivation of food crops. The study identified the pattern of land use and management, estimated technical efficiency, identified determinants of technical inefficiency and determined productivity and profitability of food crop production in the fadama. It also de...
ABSTRACT separate experiments, each lasting 84 days, were carried out on the University o f Ghana »s Agricultural Research Station, Kpong, The primary objectives o f the study were to: ( i ) Formulate cocoa husk - and sugarcane bagasse - based diets, ( i i ) i'issess the acceptability o f diets to lo cal beef c a ttle , ( i i i ) Determine the e ffe c t o f roughage and protein le v e l ( i f any) on feedlot performance o f the animals (iv ) Find out .the extent to which soaking dried...
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 This study assesses the effect of income diversification of rice farmers on household food security in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region of Ghana. By income diversification, the study implies the different combination of activities that rice farmers indulge in to earn income. Information on personal as well as household characteristics was obtained from 204 rice farmers in the North Tongu District by the use of semi-structured questionnaires. Depending on their income port...
The Ecological Footprint of a person is calculated by adding up all of people's demands that compete for biologically productive space, such as cropland to grow potatoes or cotton, or forest to produce timber or to sequester carbon dioxide emissions
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...
ABSTRACT A dry rot of yam Dioscorea rotundata which attacks tubers in the field and in storage is currently threatening production of the crop in the Krachi Nchumuru District of the Volta Region No detailed investigation has been conducted therefore a study was carried out from October 2016 to May 2017 to assess the knowledge, perception and experiences of farmers in the District on the occurrence and management of the tuber dry rot disease, isolate, identify and assess plant parasitic nemato...