ABSTRACT The drying kinetics and effect quality of dried moringa leaves using different drying methods. The methods were microwave (MW) alone, solar, sun, shade, hot air alone and blanch-assisted and MW-assisted hot air drying methods. The drying experiments were performed in the temperature range of 50 to 70 °C, MW-power of 270 to 720 W, blanching time of 1 to 3 min and sample thickness 3 to 20 mm. MW-pretreatment time, blanching time, sample thickness, microwave power and hot air temperatu...
ABSTRACT Knowledge of the required amount of irrigation and the time in the day to irrigate is very important for the efficient use of irrigation water and the maximization of vegetable yield and quality. In this experiment, the effect of time of irrigation (morning and evening) and amount of irrigation (100%ETc, 90%ETc and 80%ETc) on the growth, yield, physicochemical quality, shelf life, WUE and economic value of sweet pepper was investigated using completely randomized design with 3 replic...
ABSTRACT Wet sieving is still a manual operation in tropical crop processing. It is a time consuming operation. Most of the existing wet sieving machines are available in large scale industries and they are too sophisticated to operate and maintain by local processors. Therefore, a motorized starch extracting machine, based on shaking mechanism was designed, fabricated and tested to solve the problem associated with sieving of starch and other agricultural crops in Nigeria. The machine consis...
ABSTRACT In this study, the product temperature response of a single screw extruder developed locally was investigated for the extrusion process of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity but yet underutilized. These were compared with wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary pastes in a factorial experiment in completely randomized design A maximum temperature of 150oC per 30 minutes was attained through viscous dissip...
ABSTRACT In this study, the effect of extrusion process parameters of a locally developed extruder on the moisture loss of extrudates of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity were characterized. These were compared with those of wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary paste. The parameters considered include feed moisture (30, 40, 50 %), extruder temperature (40, 70, 100oC) built up by varying the duration of samplin...
Abstract: In this study, the effect of extrusion process parameters of a locally developed extruder on the expansion of extrudates of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity was characterised. These were compared with those of wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary paste. The parameters considered include feed moisture (30, 40, 50 % d.b.), extruder temperature (40, 70, 100oC) varied by continuous running of the machin...
AbstractA two-dimensional transient heat conduction equation was solved by finite- difference method to predict temperature variations within the maize (Zea mays) bin. The mathematical model comprises the center, interior and exterior heat transfer equations. Variables used include bin diameter, bin-wall material, grain temperatures, grain thermal and air properties. Software was developed for the model in Visual Basic. Temperatures within the silo were predicted at radii 0.0m (silo center), ...
Mechanised agriculture has the potential to supply Nigeria with the export needs, it requires to diversify and close its GDP gap. This potential can be actualised if the rural agricultural farmers adopted the use of mechanised irrigation farming techniques. The wind is widespread in Nigeria and wind-powered irrigation system is a clean and decentralised alternative for providing rural communities with electricity for meeting domestic and irrigation farming power needs in a sustainable way. In...
Abstract Egg incubators with regular, effective and efficient operation have the capacities of providing enough poultry birds which can serve every household in Nigeria with sufficient amount of protein on daily basis. Although many commercial incubators in Nigeria has folded up due to epileptic and erratic electricity supply which disrupts and impairs the operation of the incubators and reduce their level of performance resulting into low production and high cost of poultry birds. In order t...
The increase of salinity in soil and water bodies which simultaneously declines the productivity of agriculture is of great concern to the Nigerian Federation which holds agriculture as a major means of survival for its economy. Thus, the proper monitoring,use and management of soil and water bodies is a sure way to proffer solutions to food shortage and poor crop yields. This can however be achieved by the use of a fast, reliable, and accurate in-situ salinometer. A portable in-situ salinome...
Research on soil-wheel interaction is essential in studies of motion resistance of narrow wheels of agricultural machines. The aim of this research was to study the effects of soil moisture content and tyre inflation pressure on motion resistance of narrow wheels using a locally developed single wheel test rig. A single wheel Test Rig facility was developed at Federal University of Technology, Akure. It consists of a soil bin, carriage, single narrow wheel tester, trolley and drive system. An...
ABSTRACT The metering device is a key segment of planters that legitimately influence crop improvement and yield dependent on the presentation of the specific design. Metering device B (Teflon) is intended to minimize seed damage during planting while improving metering efficiency and field capacity. An improved local jab planter for maize seeds which is adjusted for farmers developing under two hectares has been structured, built and tried. The major components of the planter are hopper, see...
Objectif : La province du Haut Katanga est dominée par des sols ferralitiques, une des sources majeures des faibles rendements du maïs dans cette contrée. Pour pallier aux problèmes d’infertilités de ces sols et accroître la productivité, les producteurs recourent essentiellement aux engrais minéraux (NPK). Ces derniers sont généralement appliqués au moment de semis. Cependant, avec les perturbations climatiques actuelles, le moment de leur application devient une préoccupat...
L’agriculture congolaise est encore largement extensive, se caractérisant par de faibles rendements. S’agissant du maïs, les rendements obtenus en milieux paysans sont d’environ 10 fois moins au potentiel de la culture; le faible niveau de fertilité de sols couplé à l’utilisation du matériel non performant sont les causes majeures. Cet essai a été installé suivant un dispositif split plot pour évaluer les effets des doses croissantes de la fertilisation azotée sur le com...
Le bananier est exposé à de nombreux problèmes entre autres la salinité excessive des sols et des eaux d’irrigation qui entraînent une chute de sa productivité. Cet essai a été conduit en vue d’évaluer les effets de la salinité sur le comportement du bananier et la diversité de la coloration des champignons dans ce sol. L’essai a été installé sous serre suivant un dispositif complètement randomisé à 3 répétitions. Deux cultivars de bananier (Pelipita ABB et Planta...