Abstract: Advancement of knowledge on soil microbial richness is a key to environmental policy and sustainable land management. In Botswana, there is a dearth of scientific reports on soil bacterial dynamics. The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of how soil physico-chemical properties influence bacterial abundance and distribution under different land-use types (ecosystems). Six ecosystems studied include saline soil, sewage sludge dump, garden, fallow land rainfed and irrig...
Abstract: Diversifying tourism products is a vital contemporary business strategy for maintaining a competitive advantage in the face of rapid technological, economic and social changes. Tourism in Botswana is largely dependent on wildlife and international tourists and consistent calls to diversify over the past four decades have greatly been amplified by the colossal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-systematic literature review analyzed progress and research trends related to touris...
Abstract: This study considers a business scenario involving three participants. The first participant, in this case the farmer sells the cattle to the second participant, in this case the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) which, in turn sells the processed beef to the European Union (EU). The BMC offers a price, S1(t), to the farmer for the cattle. The EU offers a price, S2(t), to the BMC. To estimate the parameters spot prices of beef-cattle from the BMC and the EU markets for years 1992 to 2...
Abstract: Electricity generation in thermal power stations results in high fly ash production that, if not managed properly, will be a potential source of pollutants. In Botswana, the fly ash from Morupule Power Plant is being as an amendment for agricultural soils through a series of experiment that characterized and assessed fly ash deposits as liming material and nutrient source; assessed the effects of fly ash amendments applied at different rates in combination with the nutrient so...
Abstract: Understanding soil attributes guides arable farming initiatives in many countries, especially developing countries. In this study, soils of the Gamodubu area, in the Kweneng District, Botswana, were analysed to determine their suitability for arable farming. Soil organic matter (SOM) was estimated by determining soil organic carbon (SOC) times a factor. Five samples of soil were collected in the Gamodubu area for evaluation in the laboratory. There was positive correlation between ...
Abstract: Millions of people around the world suffer from heavy social and health burdens related to HIV/AIDS and its associated opportunistic infections. To reduce these burdens, preventive and therapeutic vaccines are required. Effective HIV vaccines have been under investigation for several decades using different animal models. Potential plant-made HIV vaccine candidates have also gained attention in the past few years. In addition to this, broadly neutralizing antibodies produced in pla...
Abstract: A total of eight military shooting ranges were used for this study. Soil samples were collected at each of the eight shooting ranges at the berm, target line, 50 and 100 m from berm. In all of the shooting ranges investigated the highest total lead (Pb) concentrations were found in the bermsoils. Elevated Pb concentrations of 38 406.87 mg kg–1 were found in the bermsoils of TAB shooting range. Most of the shooting range soils contained high levels of Pb in the range above 2000mgk...
Abstract: Geostatistical modelling has proven to be a good tool for decision making in soil nutrient management because it has the ability to map spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty. This study outlines a comparative approach to quantify the uncertainties and correlations in spatial process models as illustrated for the distribution of Zn in top soils of a semi-arid environment. The spatial correlation of Zn uncertainties is investigated by calculating the semi-variance of normalized Zn co...
Abstract: Roads constructed on weak sub-grade clay soils with high plasticity may be affected by the behaviour of the clay soils. Weak sub-grade clay soils undergo volume change due to the changes in the moisture content which triggers cracking, settlement, heaving and damage of the road pavement by breaking up the pavement. Stabilizing these types of weak sub-grade clay soil is required to overcome the swelling of the clay soil and increase the soil strength and improve the performance. The...
This research study examines the transformative role of mobile applications in empowering smallholder farmers through increased access to information, market linkages, financial inclusion, and improved resource management. The study explores how mobile apps have facilitated real-time access to relevant agricultural information, including weather updates, crop prices, best farming practices, and pest management techniques. The availability of reliable information enables farmers to make inform...
This study was conducted in Siddhaur block of Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh in 2020-2021. With the help of random sampling method, 120 Mentha growers were selected and data were collected by personal interview method by using pre-tested interview schedule and later appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out the meaningful result. The finding of the study revealed that the overall level of knowledge of mentha growers regarding the recommended practices indicated they have medi...
ABSTRACTThe study on bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil into Amaranthus hybridus grown in irrigation farm lands in zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria was carried out to assess the risk to human health by heavy metals (Pb and Cd) through the intake of grown vegetables (Amaranthus hybridus) from bomo lake, river galma and borehole water irrigated site. The samples collected (A. hybridus and soil) were separately digested and the heavy metals were analyzed using Atomic absorpti...
Abstract This study was carried out to evaluate the awareness and use of improved sesame production practices in Periurban areas of Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select the respondents for the study from five districts that make up peri-urban areas of Dutse. Data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires administered to 165 respondents out of which only 159 were found to be useful. Data collected were analyzed using frequenc...
This study analyzed the direction of causality between world oil prices and agricultural productivity in selected staple crops in Nigeria. This study explored analysis based on the output and input quantities of the crop sub-sector, which is the dominant sub-sector of the agricultural sector in Nigeria. Secondary data was utilized which were sourced from secondary sources such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Central Bank of ...
Abstract Identification of high N-fixing groundnut genotypes and integrating theminto the prevailing cereal-based cropping systems can reduce the need for nitrogen (N) fertilizers, thus minimizing their high cost and associated environmental consequences. This study was conducted to estimate the amount of symbiotically fixed N by groundnut genotypes and its contribution to soil N and yield of groundnut. Trials were carried out during the 2015 rainy season at Bayero University Kano (BUK) Agr...