Agriculture

The cultivation of fresh tomatoes at Tono irrigation scheme by mostly the lowly educated youth is bedevilled by so many challenges. However, even though the full cost of producing fresh tomato at Tono appear to be increasing rapidly over the years under review, the venture is still economically beneficial but with decreasing profitability by using conventional statistics. The average return on investment for 2006 dry season was 4.22 while that for 2010 dry season was 2.34. Thus, there was a general decline in profits over the years. Time series analysis was therefore, carried out to forecast for the next five years which confirmed the declining profits nature of the industry. It was realised that, various interventions from government and policy markers were needed to arrest the appalling situation and make the industry one of the keys to alleviating the chronic poverty in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

Salt stress as a major adverse factor can lower leaf water potential, leading to reduced turgor and some other responses, and ultimately lower crop productivity in arid and semi arid zones. To better understand salt stress responses in crop plants, we compared effects of salinity stress on growth, chlorophyll content and osmotic components in cresses that were grown in controlled environment in Hoagland nutrient solution containing 0, 5o, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl, respectively. Proline, soluble carbohydrates, chlorophyll ‘a, b’ and carotenes of leaves were determined 30 days after initiation of salinity stress. The results reveal that salinity caused significant decreases in growth of cress plants as measured by fresh weight. By increasing NaCl levels from 0 to 200 mM, the content of chlorophyll a and b, and carotenes reduced. Maximum reduction was observed at 200 mM of NaCl. Mean values of data showed that Lepidium sativum had the maximum reduction of chlorophyll a and b, and carotenes under salinity stress. In this study, salinity had no significant effect on soluble carbohydrate but the proline content varied among the cresses whether the plants were grown with or without salinity stress.

At present study first, some physical properties of four varieties of peanut (pod and kernel) were measured at initial moisture content. Afterwards, the required force for initial rupturing of the peanut kernels under compression loading was determined as a function of kernel moisture content (between 7 and 35% w.b.) and compression load direction. The compression load was applied laterally containing the suture line (direction 1), perpendicular to direction 1 (direction 2) and longitudinally through the hilum (direction 3). Results showed that Iraqi 1 variety had the highest value of rupture force for both kernel and pod. Also, it was observed that there was a strongly polynomial relationship between rupture force and kernel moisture content for whole tested varieties. The average values of the rupture force at direction 2 were 61, 60, 64 and 57% higher than direction 3 for Goli, Valencia, Iraqi 1 and Iraqi 2 varieties, respectively. Considering peanut kernels, the rapture force required to initiate rupturing was less at direction 3 than directions 1 and 2, therefore it is proposed that cracking operation should be performed along this direction.

This study examined the effect of crude oil price on agricultural productivity in Nigeria between 1981 and 2010. Agricultural productivity (proxy as agricultural GDP) was specified as a function of factors such as exchange rate, crude oil price, capital stock, labour, land and fertilizer. Quantitative estimates, based on Augmented-Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test, Co-integration and Error Correction modelling, indicate that the exchange rate, capital, labour and trend are the major determinants of agricultural productivity in the long-run, while price of crude oil price is the most important determinant of agricultural productivity in the short–run. The results further shows that the error correction mechanism (ECM) indicated a feedback of about 112.5% of the previous year’s disequilibrium from long-run domestic agricultural production.

The main objectives of this study were to analyze the energy efficiency of broiler production of Mazandaran province in north of Iran based on traditional and modern farms. For these purposes the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was applied to the data on energy use in broiler production in individual farms. The results indicated that the percentage of efficient units were founded about 17% and 34% in technical (CCR model) and pure technical (BCC model) for both systems. Also, about 17% of total units of traditional and modern farms had the efficient score fore scale efficiency index. Based on CCR and BCC models of DEA, the average of technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores of traditional farms was calculated as 0.837, 0.927 and 0.906, respectively; while the modern farms results indicated that technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores was founded as 0.873, 0.978 and 0.892, respectively. The total saving energy of traditional and modern farms was about 19907 and 6740 MJ 1000 birds-1, respectively. Accordingly, it can be said, comparing to present farms, the total energy requirement of DEA method decreased as 11.16% and 3.57% for traditional and modern farms, respectively. The last part of this research illustrated that diesel fuel, feed and electrical energy had the highest share for total saving energy by the DEA method in both systems of broiler production.

This experiment was conducted to evaluation of forage potential of intercropping barley with alfalfa under agrohumic fertilizer .The experimental treatments were intercropped barley/alfalfa with 25/75; 50/50, 75/25 ratios along with their sole crops as control plots. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design based on a RCBD with 3 replications. Main factor included agrohumic at four levels (0, 5, 7 and 10 lit/1000lit water per ha). According to result, we suggest using of 7 liter/1000 liter water per ha for intercropping of barley and alfalfa, also using of 50/50 ratio for barley and alfalfa is better ratio for intercropping.

Agriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy before the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The sector provides employment opportunity for a larger portion of the nation’s population. So also is the provision of raw materials for most industries and provision of food for the nation. With the discovery of oil in the country, the sector has been witnessing decline in terms of performance. This has prompted the government in the early 1990s to establish fadama among many other measures aim at alleviating the problem facing agriculture. This study therefore examines the impact of fadama administration on the performance of agricultural sector in Nigeria. The study adopted qualitative analysis by comparing agricultural sector’s performance pre and post fadama establishment. The findings show mixed fortune in the performance of the sector. Whereas the total agricultural production has been on the increase, it has not been enough to meet the domestic consumption as the nation still import some agricultural products especially food items. Also the contribution of the sector to GDP is declining much as labour mobility from the sector to more lucrative sector is becoming rampant. The study therefore concludes that more funding be allocated to fadama in particular and the entire sector in general so as to address the problems detected by the findings.

Although the Solanaceae family leaves (tomato, eggplant, potato,…etc.) is a main host plant for the larvae of tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta; field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis is recorded as a new host plant to tomato leafminer, T. absoluta as a first time in Egypt. The larvae of T. absoluta were attacked the leaves of C. arvensis completely. This finding confirmed that the tomato leafminer is a polyphagous insect. This allows it to survive in many habitats in the absence of Solanaceae family crops. This result recommended that removing of field bindweed plants from tomato field may be reducing the tomato leafworm population.

ABSTRACT Suitability of growing media or substrates is essential for production of quality seedlings for transplant. It directly affects the development and later maintenance of the extensive functional system. A good growing medium would provide sufficient anchorage of support to plant, serves a reservoir for nutrient and water, allow oxygen diffusion to the root and permit gaseous exchange between the root and atmosphere outside the root substrate. In the present of study different growth media were used to germinate the seed of white yam (Dioscorea rotundata) under a controlled growth chamber to identify which among the tried media is best for yam seed. The growth media tested were Cocopeat, Peat pellet, Carbonized rice husk, Top soil, Cocopeat + Top soil and Carbonized rice husk + Top soil. Each treatment was measured into a nursery seedling basket, arranged in randomized complete block design, and replicated four times. Daily minimum and maximum Temperature and Relative humidity records were recorded throughout the experiment. At 60 and 90 days after seed sowing, growth response parameters were recorded and were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means were separated using least significant difference at 5% probability level. Highest germination of 71.65 and 88.65% at 60 and 90 days after sowing respectively were recorded from yam seed planted in Cocopeat and the same trend was observed in respect of growth response parameters observed. Top soil had the least influence as growth medium, which was not significantly different from response from its mixture with other growth media.

Persian shallot grows as a wild plant in some mountains of Iran. Persian shallot, a bulb producing plant from Alliaceae, is a wildly growing plant collected for its bulbs. Bulbs of Persian shallot, called “Mooseer” in Farsi, are oval, white skinned, usually of one and rarely of two main bulbs and are completely different from common shallot (Allium ascalonicum). In this study, various physical properties of Persian shallot were determined at a moisture content of 68.62% w.b. The equatorial diameters, polar diameters, shape index, volume and density were 36.647 ±3.30 mm, 33.242 ± 3.47 mm, 1.0898 ± 0.07, 3.5106 ± 0.961 cm3 and 5211.292 ± 1108.463 Kg.m-3, respectively. The static coefficient of friction was obtained on the plywood surface followed by the glass and the galvanized iron sheet surfaces. The shear strength increased with an increase in loading rate. Linear model for describing the mass of Persian shallot, by applying dimensional characteristics and volume was investigated. The results showed that mass modeling of Persian shallot based on oblate spheroid shaped volume (Vosp) and geometric mean diameter (Dgm) are the most appropriate models, respectively.