Abstract Melon production occupies a very important position in vegetable crop production in terms of number of farmers that engaged in its cultivation and its economic value This study examined the efficiency of melon production in Oredo and Egor Local Government Areas of Edo State, Nigeria. It sought to ascertain the socio-economic characteristic of the melon farmers, determined cost and returns and estimation of technical efficiency of melon producers. Data were collected using questionnai...
One of the most critical inputs to vegetable (fruits) production in semi-arid areas, dry season farming and nursery establishment is water. During the dry season or off season, the source of water for vegetable growing is from irrigation while in the wet season, rainfall is the source of water. Young vegetable seedlings in the nursery or in the field should be watered in the early morning or in the evening. Watering should be done before transplanting particularly in the evening. Over-wa...
Palm oil is one the commercial product of palm fruit (Elaesis Guineesis). It is derived from the fleshy messieurs of the fruit of the oil palm which contains 45 – 55% oil. Palm oil belongs to a class of food known as fat and oil, which are generally termed lipid. It is oil from plant origin. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Approval Page Dedication Acknowledgement CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TWO 2.1The Oil Palm 2.2Extraction and Refining of Vegetable Oil 2.3Types and Sources of...
Abstract Pine bark is locally available in Zimbabwe and is widely in vegetable seedling production. However, it lacks essential nutrients for seedling growth. Goat manure was used to supplement nutrients when pine bark is used as growing media. The main object of the study was to determine the effect of pine bark amended with goat manure on tomato seedling emergence and seedling quality parameter which were stem diameter and stem length. The study was carried out at the Tobacco Research Boar...
ABSTRACT Wastewater irrigation can pose a variety of potential health risks and also excessive and often imbalanced addition of nutrients to the soil to affect crop production. Thus its use in agriculture without adequate safeguards has been noted to have serious drawbacks for human health and the environment. This study modelled the levels of microbial and chemical contaminants in wastewater used for peri-urban vegetable crop production for both dry and wet seasons and also assessed the eff...
ABSTRACT Vegetable crop production in Ghana over the past years has been a challenge due to water scarcity. The unpredictable and insufficient rainfalls has been a drawback on improving crop production and yield. This study aimed at estimating crop water requirement (CWR) and yield of okra in biochar amended soil. The FAO 56 dual crop coefficient approach was used to estimate CWR of a local variety of the test crop, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Models were developed to predict crop coeff...
ABSTRACT Vegetable amaranths are highly valued for being rich in proteins and micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin A. In spite of the crop’s exceptional nutritional qualities, very little effort has been put in to improve the foliage yield potential in Kenya. Reports on morphological phenotypic variation analysis in Amaranthus are rare and detailed agronomic recommendations for leaf and seed yields and quality enhancement are scanty. Research on the extent of th...
ABSTRACT This project was carried out to ascertain whether the local palm oil met the required standard. The analytical test carried out include the free fatty acid test the acid value, iodine value moisture, content, saponfication value, peroxide value, specific gravity, colour and viscosity. The specific gravity of the oil sample was determined by comparing its weight when filled with the sample and that of water, while its moisture content was analyzed by oven drying the sample for a p...
Abstract: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the important vegetables grown in Kenya. It is the second leading vegetable in terms of production and nutritional value after the potato. Tomatoes are mainly grown by small scale farmers in most arable areas with the main production areas being in Kiambu County. Production of tomatoes in Kenya has been mainly under open field conditions until recently where modified high tunnels (‘greenhouse’) were introduced. Tomato production in greenh...
Abstract Worldwide, commercial production of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is constrained by diseases, key among them being the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV). These potyviruses are the most devastating to common bean farmers and can cause total yield loss under heavy infestation. The objective of this study was to characterize the BCMNV resistance in commercial French bean cultivars and initiate a breeding program against the disease. A s...
Abstract/Overview Solanum villosum is an important leafy vegetable in Kenya whose production faces low yields. Two potentially high leaf-yielding genotypes of S. villosum, T-5 and an octoploid have been developed. Field experiments were conducted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to evaluate the vegetative and reproductive growth characteristics and leaf nitrogen of the genotypes under varying N levels. The experiments were carried out as split plots in a randomize...
Solar powered systems have been built for various applications ranging from public lighting to water supply units but robust efforts have not been made in the development of pumping systems that can effectively replace the manually operated pumps used in field applications. Designing a machine that can pump the fluid without the need of so much energy on the part of the operator as well as boycott the use of direct electricity will hence be a reasonable contribution to field of maintenance an...
ABSTRACT This report covers details of experiments carried out on five laboratory experiments namely. Producton of unriped cheese, production of yoghurt, production of ice cream, vegetable milk extraction and dairy plant sanitation. Experiment on production of unriped cheese was carried out using milk powder and Sodom apple leaves. Experiment on production of yoghurt was carried out using milk powder, sugar and stabilizer. Experiment on production of ice cream was carried out using milk 88.7%...
Abstract: Biogas is a methane gas produced through anaerobic digestion fermentation of organic matter. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal mix ratio for biogas production from anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste (carrot and cabbage waste) and goat manure. The experiment was batch operated and daily gas yield from the mixture was monitored for 30 days. The parameters measured were total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), organic carbon, and moisture content. For the experime...
ABSTRACT Biofuels made from plant sources, usually used to run in diesel engines are of two types namely bioethanol and biodiesel. Bioethanol is mostly derived from maize and sugar cane molasses, while biodiesel is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. A wide range of biofuels can be used as renewable resources of energy, including tallow and waste vegetable oil from hotels and fish vendors. Presently waste vegetable oil is discarded into sewerage systems, causing pollution in water w...