Agriculture

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.

The energy use and influences of energy inputs on output levels in corn grain production were investigated. For this purpose, the data on 100 corn grain production farms in the Khozestan province, Iran, were collected and analyzed. The output level was specified as a function inputs and output, and ordinary least squares were employed to estimate equation parameters. The results indicated that total energy input for corn grain production was about 392323 MJha–1; Chemical fertilizers (with 44 %) and electricity (with 27 %) were amongst the highest energy inputs for corn grain production. The energy ratio, energy productivity, specific energy and net energy were 2.6, 0.18 kgMJ–1, 5.66 MJkg–1 and 59248.58 MJha–1 respectively. The regression results indicated that the contribution of energy inputs on crop yield was significant. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the major MPP was drawn for seed and chemical fertilizers energy. Economic analysis indicated that the total cost of production for one hectare of corn grain production was around 1955 $. Accordingly, the benefit–cost ratio was 1.75. The total amounts of CO2 for corn grain production was calculated as 1.54 tonha-1, which indicated the high CO2 output in this cultivation. The use of diesel fuel and chemical fertilizer is in excess for corn grain production, causing an environmental risk problem in the region. The high rate of non-renewable energy utilization in this region can be controlled by using farmyard and green manure instead of chemical fertilizers.

The energy-agriculture relationship is becoming very important in view of an increasing demand for food production to meet the pressure from an ever-increasing population. For these reasons, energy use pattern, energy efficiency, and energy inputs-output relationship were determined for Sesame in north central Nigeria. Data were collected from 120 farmers by using face to-face questionnaire method. The results indicated that total input energy use in sesame production was 2632.4 MJ, which was dominated by human labour energy (24.2%) and organic manure energy (21.1%). The output energy for sesame production was 13750.0MJ and the energy use efficiency ratio was 5.2. The proportion of renewable energy used (56.2%) in the surveyed Sesame farms was slightly higher than the non-renewable energy forms (44.8%), and sesame production in the study area is mainly depended on indirect energy forms. Organic manure was observed to be the most important energy input that influences the yield of Sesame in the study area.

In this paper we examine the energy use patterns, energy input-output analysis and economic analysis of soybean production in Mazandaran province of Iran. The data were collected using a face-to-face questionnaire method from 95 farmers in Sari, Babolsar, Behshahr and Juibar counties. The results indicated that total energy input for soybean was about 38.7 GJha-1. Among all inputs involved, electricity (49.42%) and fertilizer (20.82%) had the highest energy values per hectare. The bene?t-cost ratio and energy ratio for cultivating for were found to be 1.56 and 2.06, respectively. Also, total cost of production was calculated 0.35 $kg-1 in the research area. The total mean expenditure for the production was 1145 $ha-1 that includes 969 $ha-1 for variable cost and 176 $ha-1 for fixed cost. Optimal consumptions of electricity and fertilizers as major inputs, minimum tillage and no tillage planting systems would be suggested.

The aim of this study was to examine energy use pattern and predict the output energy for dry wheat production in Silakhor plain from Lorestan province of Iran. The data used in this study were collected from farmers by using a face to face survey. The results revealed that chemical fertilizer with seed and diesel fuel have consumed 57.93% and 36.58% of total energy, respectively. In this study, several direct and indirect factors have been identified to create an artificial neural networks (ANN) model to predict output energy for dry wheat production. The final model can predict output energy based on human power, machinery, diesel fuel, chemical fertilizer with seed and transportation. The results of ANNs analyze showed that the (5-10-10-1)-MLP, namely, a network having ten neurons in the first and second hidden layer was the best-suited model estimating the output energy. For this topology, MSE and R2 were 0.029 and 90%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis of input parameters on output showed that chemical fertilizer with seed and human power had the highest and lowest sensitivity on output energy with 0.21and 0.03, respectively.

The purposes of this study is analyzing energy consumption and investigational the influences of energy inputs and forms on yield of greenhouse cucumber production in Lorestan and Markazi provinces. Data used in this study were obtained from 64 greenhouses randomly during one period of plant cultivation season in 2011-2012. The total energy input of 1070966.3 MJ ha^-1 was required for cucumber production. The portion of fuel by 78.4 % of the total input energy was the highest energy input. The energy use efficiency, specific energy, energy productivity and net energy gain were found as 0.14, 5.67 MJ kg^-1, 0.176 kg/MJ and -919867.9 MJ ha^-1, respectively, that indicated inefficient use of energy. The economic model estimation revealed that the impact of, human labor, fertilizer and chemical energy inputs that significantly showed a positive effect on yield that mean increase in quality of these inputs causes yield increases significantly. The results of sensitivity analysis of the energy inputs showed that the highest the MPP value of human labour. Econometric analysis indication of the benefit–cost ratio was estimated as 1.86

In this study, estimation capabilities of response surface methodology and optimization acceptability of desirability functions methodology in an air drying process were investigated. The air temperature, air velocity, drying time and banana thickness were selected as independent factors in the process of drying banana slices. The dependent variables or responses were the moisture content, drying rate, energy efficiency and exergy efficiency. A rotatable central composite design as an adequate method was used to develop models for the responses. The regression coefficient, regression equation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also obtained to analysis of responses. In addition to this 3D response surface plot were helpful to predict the results by performing only limited set of experiments. Simultaneously, a minimum value for the moisture content and maximum value for the other responses was desired. Finally desirability functions found a maximum desirability equal to 0.49.

The aim of this study was to determine the amount of input-output energy used in broiler production and to make an economic analysis for broiler production in different sizes of farms in Iran. Data were collected from 70 producers, using face to face questionnaire method in Ardabil province. The surveyed farms were classified into three groups of small (less than 15000bird), medium (15000 to 30000 bird) and large farms (more than 30000 bird). The results indicated the total average energy input and output of 154and 27 GJ (1000bird)-1, respectively. The highest share in energy consumption belonged to fuel (61%) followed by feed (35%) and electricity (3%). Also, the results showed that large farms use the least amount of total energy per 1000bird; while, the highest energy output was obtained from medium farms. The share of direct, indirect, renewable and non-renewable energies was 64.62%, 35.38%, 35.28% and 64.72% respectively. The average energy use ef?ciency and productivity were calculated 0.18 and 0.02 kg MJ-1, respectively. Cost analysis showed that total average cost of production was 3349 $ (1000bird)-1. The bene?t-cost ratio and productivity were 1.09 and 0.77 kg $-1, respectively. Mainly, the large farms had the highest energy ratio (0.21) and benefit to cost ratio (1.11); indicating a better management of energy and input consumptions in these farms.

The detoxifying effect of Vitamin C in the graded levels of Fumonisin B1 fed to bird was conducted with One hundred and five (105) point-of-lay Isa brown breed at 18 weeks and twenty-one (21) cocks at 25 weeks to access egg qualities and embryonic development of their eggs. The birds (layers) were assigned to Seven (7) dietary treatments of 15 birds each at three (3) birds per replicate. The treatments were classified according to inclusion level of Fumonisin B1 and Vitamin C. Treatment A served as the control, B (10 mg/kg of FB1), C (20 mg/kg of FB1), D (30 mg/kg of FB1), E (10 mg/kg of FB1 + Vitamin C), F (20 mg/kg of FB1 + Vitamin C), and G (30mg/kg of FB1 + Vitamin C). The birds were artificially fertilised with semen collected from intact cocks. All the eggs collected from day three (3) after artificial insemination for seven (7) days were incubated to assess the egg fertility and monitor the development of resulting embryos at 7 and 14 days. A significant difference was observed in shell weight (p?0.05) while other external qualities of eggs examined were not significantly (p?0.05) influenced by the level of fumonisin B1. Yolk height and yolk diameter had significance (p?0.05) while other internal qualities were not significantly (p?0.05) affected. No significant effect of FB1 was observed for the embryonic development just as there was no difference between the selected embryos of the treated group and the control. Meanwhile, the result shows that Vitamin C can effectively ameliorate the toxic effect of the FB1 on the egg qualities (external and internal) and embryonic development of eggs. 

The access to agricultural information in Sudan continues to be challenging to farmers due to use of inadequate sources and traditional extension approaches. The rapid growth of smart-mobile phones usage in developing countries resulted in several advantages compared to other alternatives in term of costs, geographic coverage and ease of use. This research was conducted in North Kordofan Sate to explore the role of smart-mobile phone in accessing agricultural information. Primary data were obtained by structured questionnaires and focus group discussion through participatory rural appraisal and observation while secondary data were collected from scientific journals, books and authenticated web sources. A number of 230 respondents (10% from total farmers) were interviewed and five focus group discussions were done. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 was used to analyze the data with aid of descriptive statistics and Chi-squire Test. The result indicated that most of the respondents fall in age group between 21-40 years, and they depend on farm activity. There was 90% of farmers processed mobile phone since more than three years ago, 90.8%continuedto use smart mobile phone to access agricultural information and showed positive contribution towards income generation. The results also revealed that there was positive perception towards using mobile phones which showed more efficient in use than radio and TVs. The results showed great advantages of using smart mobile phone where 75.2 % of respondents preferred to get agricultural information, logistics and other needs through successful communication in the mid of agricultural season. Results of Chi-squire test showed significant differences between the parameters tested. The study recommended that farmers should be connected with mobile phones to admit ease communication with agricultural extension offices and quick access to their needs and logistics.

This study analyse efficiency and productivity changes in ECOWAS agriculture using the Hicks-Moorsteen TFP index developed by O’Donnell (2008, 2009, 2010c). This approach has an advantage over the popular Malmquist productivity index in that it is free from any assumptions associated with firm optimising behaviour, the structure of markets, or return to scale. ECOWAS agriculture is inefficient over the entire period as the most of the measures of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency over the entire period considered (1961-2009) have their efficiency estimates that were less than unity. The inefficiency of the measures of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency over the entire period (1961 - 2009) may be due to weak human assets, a high degree of economic vulnerability, increasing trend towards urbanization, limitation of exports to few commodities, low export earnings, low capital formation, food insecurity and poor rural development as well as ineffective implementation of both regional and national policies due to poor knowledge of the determinants of agricultural productivity and their degrees. The declining behaviour of technical changes (?Tech) over the entire period (1961-2009) reveals that agriculture sector in all ECOWAS member states are not operating on the same point on the production possibilities set as well as changes in the economic, political and social environment of ECOWAS member states as it tends to capture the effects of technological change and the long term effects of inefficiency of both regional and national policies (with the inclusion of agricultural policies over the entire years) among the ECOWAS member states.

The biological effectiveness of jute bags impregnated with Eucalyptus camaldulensis essential oils, Cymbopogon citratus, and vegetable oil of Azadirachta indica was evaluated on the adults of Callosobruchus maculatus of cowpea and the molds of the genus Aspergilus and Penicillium, in post-harvest conservation conditions. The results reveal that the jute bags tested have significant insecticidal and antimicrobial activity on Callosobruchus maculatus adults, when the dose and exposure time increase from 0 to 2% for 26 weeks.

Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott can provide a solution to the problems of hunger, inadequacy and food insecurity facing many developing countries such as DR Congo, as it is adapted to humid tropical climates and is richer in nutrients than most root and tuber crops. However, its large-scale culture is confronted with the unavailability of propagation material related to its mode of multiplication and growth. In fact, the pronounced dominance imposed by the terminal bud inhibits bud burst and the development of lateral buds that can be used during planting. To try to solve this problem, a study was carried out by experimenting the PIF method in Kisangani. It consisted in evaluating the longevity of the bulbs in relation to their size, to estimate the production of the offspring with regard to the longevity of the mother bulbs and to evaluate the temporal evolution of the vigor of the obtained shoots. The observations made were based respectively on the diameter of the mother bulbs, the neck diameter of the weaned offspring, the lifespan of mother bulbs and the order of weaning. It was then established the relationship between the longevity of the mother bulbs and their size, the number of offspring formed and the lifespan of the mother bulbs and finally between the diameter of offspring formed and the order of weaning. The results obtained showed that: The longevity of the mother bulbs was independent of their size (P = 0,905);There is a positive correlation between the longevity of mother bulbs and the number of offspring formed. This relationship was translated by the equation: Number of offspring formed = 0,847 + 0,004X (X = longevity of mother bulbs). This equation indicates that the number of offspring formed increases moderately with the longevity of the mother bulbs (r = 0,346). The longevity of the bulb explains to 10,9% the increase in the number of the offspring formed (R2 = 0,109);There were no significant differences between the tested substrates with respect to the longevity of the mother bulbs (P = 0,227);There is a close relationship between the weaning order and the vigor of trained and weaned offspring.

Water scarcity in Sub-Saharan has led to utilization of the wastewater in home gardening and also in commercial production of vegetables. Wastewater is associated with various contaminants, including heavy metals that are toxic and life threatening to humans. It was therefore important to evaluate and quantity the levels of heavy metals in the vegetable tissues supplied with both wastewater and tap water. Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out to evaluate the uptake and accumulation of cadmium and lead in selected indigenous vegetables for two seasons from September to November 2017 and January to March 2018. The field trial was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and in the greenhouse the treatments were arranged in Complete Randomized Design (RCD) replicated three times. Two types of water sources (wastewater and tap water), two types of irrigation (foliar and root-applied) and four vegetables were the main treatments. The findings revealed that Amaranthus accumulated highest amount of lead in its tissue for the field experiments in season 1, season 2 as well as the greenhouse (3.69mg kg-1 and 4.85mgk g-1 respectively. For cadmium Kales had the highest uptake of 3.38mgkg-1, 0.639mgkg-1 and 0.36mgkg-1 in season 1, season 2 and greenhouse. Interaction effects were also reported in the two metals and the respective vegetable species. Due to high levels of contamination in the water used in irrigation could be the reason for high accumulation of the metals in the vegetable species. Proper phytoremediation measures need to be put across to improve the quality of the vegetables in the region to promote healthy living among the consumers. 

The importance of erosion in relation to variability of water and soil losses from a parcel of land can be revealed in the measurements of the infiltration characteristics and runoff under a comparable vetiver grass strips and collection tanks within the plots. This experiment is aimed at assessing the variability of runoff and soil loss due to infiltration characteristics of the runoff plots. This study involved three vetiver plots of 20 m interval measured out of six plots (40 m × 3 m each) randomly distributed over a land area of 0.072 ha. The study was conducted on a 6 % slope experimental plot, along Parry Road of the University Ibadan, during the 2007 raining season. The texture of the soil was generally loamy sand. Mean total runoff among the plots was in the trend of no-vetiver plots > vetiver plots (13.50mm > 4.99 mm), the same was true for mean total soil loss (28.78kg/ha > 12.96kg/ha). Variability in the amounts of runoff was moderate in vetiver plots and highly variable in no-vetiver plots (CV = 24 % and 40 % respectively. The correlation between measured soil physical properties and infiltration characteristics with runoff revealed that fine sand content of the soil was negatively related with runoff (r = 0.6450*), but the reverse relationship was true for porosity inferred from soil bulk density and sorptivity of the soil (r = -0.7650*, and -0.8956* respectively).

Poor soil fertility is among the major production problems responsible for poor growth and low yield of sesame in Nigeria. A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria to determine the effect of application of organic and mineral fertilizers on growth and yield of sesame plants and rates of Nitrogen fertilizer application on the performance of sesame var E8. There were 12 factorial treatment combinations of three types of fertilizers namely; tithonia compost, maize compost, and urea and four rates of Nitrogen; 0, 60, 80, and 100 kg N/ha. Progressive increment in growth and seed yield parameters was observed as fertilizer rates increased up to 80 kg N/ha and decreased at 100 kg N/ha. Application of 80 kg N/ha produced the highest growth and yield of sesame. Application of 60, 80, and 100kg N/ha fertilizer resulted in 140, 350 and 170 % over the control. Tithonia compost produced the highest yield of sesame compared with maize compost and urea fertilizer. Generally, inorganic fertilizer (urea) resulted in lower yields compared to organic fertilizer (tithonia compost) in the production of sesame. Soil nutrient status was also enhanced as residual N increased slightly in all the treatment. However, phosphorus accumulation was highest with the application of tithonia compost at 80kg /ha. From the results of these experiments, it is indicative that application of tithonia compost at the rate of 80 kg N/ha is most suitable for the production of sesame and have the potential of improving the soils in the southern Guinea Savanna of Ogbomoso, Nigeria.

An experimental study was conducted under dryland conditions to determine the influence of conventional and conservation tillage systems as well as seed rate on grain yield and yield components of a wheat cultivar in the central region of Iran. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three tillage and four seed rate treatments with three replications. Tillage treatments comprised of conventional tillage (CT: moldboard+disk), reduced tillage (RT: chisel plow+disk), and no-till (NT: direct drilling with plow no-till drill), while the seed rate treatments were 80, 100, 120, and 140 kgha^-1. Average grain yield was 1804, 1754 and 1789 kgha^-1 for CT, RT and NT, respectively. The highest wheat yield was obtained from CT and NT treatments with seed rate of 100 kgha^-1 and the lowest yield was obtained in RT treatment with seed rate of 80 kgha^-1. The trend of wheat yield with seed rate (number of plants per hectare) was approximately similar to the parabolic response curve of grain yield versus number of plants per unit area which increases quickly to a maximum and slowly decreases at higher plant densities. To achieve the maximum yield of dryland wheat in central region of Iran, applying no-till system with seed rate of 100 kgha^-1 was recommended.

Yam cultivation requires loose soil, and tillage is essential for better production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil preparation on the number and yield of yam tuber (Dioscorea cayenensis). A randomized full-block system with three treatments (mound, ridge and no tillage) and repeated three was implemented. Vegetative parameters and performance components were measured. The results obtained showed that: ? The method of soil preparation had definite effects on the growth and number of tubers; ? An increase in the number of tubers was observed for mounded plots compared to those with ridges and no tillage ; ? The mound increased tuber yield compared to the ridge and control.

A study is conducted to investigate the effects of socio economic factors on agricultural land use in Malaysia. Relevant socio – economic variables for the study were aggregated from the databases of various international and national agencies such as FAO, Index Mundi and Malaysian Departments of Agriculture and Statistics. These data were subjected to statistical analysis using stepwise regression method in SPSS version 18. Findings indicated that, relevant socio – economic factors in agricultural land use in Malaysia are available workforce in the population and their working conditions in the agricultural and non – agricultural sectors. This study has revealed that labour supply and their conditions of service are major factors in agricultural land use in Malaysia. This study further underscores the need for greater application labour saving technology in agricultural practices given the competition between agricultural and non – agricultural uses of available workforce in the population.

Salinity is one of the increasing problems in the world including a wide area of our country. In response to salinity, multiple morphological, physiological and biochemical changes can be created in plants. In this study, Seedlings of Dracocephalum moldavica were subjected to 0, 20, 50, 70 and 100 mM NaCl. Changes in morphological traits, proline content, total phenol and activity of antioxidant enzymes such as peroxidase (POX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in shoot were evaluated. As a result, POX and PPO activities in shoot significantly increased while shoot dry weight decreased progressively. The total amount of the phenolic and free proline also increased after the NaCl treatment. The increase was dose-dependent. The highest amount of free proline achived at 100 mM NaCl which was about 3-fold higher than control in shoot, respectively. higher than control. Our results support the idea that the activities of POX and PPO and accumulation of total phenol and proline is associated with salt tolerance as oxidative responses.

The low soil fertility of the Kisangani region and the cost of chemical fertilisers on the market mean that farmers can only resort to palliative and sustainable fertilisation (organic manure). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil preparation and organic amendments on the growth and yield of yam (Dioscorea cayenensis). A split splot design was set up with two factors, soil preparation mode with three modalities and organic amendment as a second factor, also three modalities. The combination of these factors resulted in 9 treatments repeated three times. Vegetative parameters and yield components were measured. The results obtained showed that: ? Soil preparation and organic manures affected yam growth and yield; ? Pig dung was the best organic manure for most of the parameters studied.

Sugarcane fertilization in Kenyan plantations is largely concentrated on Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Use of Potassium, secondary nutrients and micronutrients is altogether missing. Recent soil analysis results indicate that soils in the Mumias Sugar zone of western Kenya that accounts for 50-60 % of national production are K- deficient. In examining the quality factor in sugarcane payment systems as envisaged in recent legislation, adoption of balanced nutrition by inclusion of K would help improve sugar cane productivity and enhance sugar recovery. This paper reports the effect of K, N and their interaction on sugarcane yield and juice quality on acrisols. Four experiments were established in several locations from 2009-2011. The treatments included a factorial combination of four rates of K at 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg/ha K2O and four rates of N at 0, 46, 92 and 138 kg/ha N. Recommended basal phosphate was included in every plot at 92 kg/ha P2O5. Each experiment was harvested after 18 months of growth. Results showed significant responses to K and N. Agronomic efficiency was higher in plots supplied with K along with N. Nitrogen and K2O application rates that produced optimum cane yields were: N = 46kg/ha and K2O = 60 kg/ha; however, economically profitable rates were N = 46-92 kg/ha and K2O at 60 kg/ha. Productivity gains did not offset costs when rates were higher than 120 kg/ha of K2O and 138 kg/ha of N. The results imply that the inclusion of K in the sugar cane fertilization regime at Mumias will be beneficial. An initial rate of 60kg/ha K2O (2 bags of 50 kg muriate of potash is recommended on soils with K-deficiency. There were strong indications that with K fertilization the current N recommendation of 120 – 150 kg N/ha could be reduced to only 78-92 kg/ha due to better N utilization from the interaction with K.

The study evaluates the effects of land rights on agricultural investment in Imo, State. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents from the list of farmers obtained from the Extension agent in-charge of Okigwe Agricultural Zone. The mean age of the respondents is 49.5. The respondents are married with over 60% educated, have large family size, and small farm size of 0.5-1ha. The existing tenure systems are purchase, inheritance, pledge, communal and rent. The respondents (87.5%) have use rights only. Land right affect enhance household food security, bolster family economy, increase optimal land use by farmers, eliminates fear of eviction, encourages investments, allow the development of an off farm economy and improve family stability. We concluded that secure land right is a veritable tool for poverty reduction, food security and agricultural investment. The benefits include bolstering family economy, enhancing household security and increasing optimal land use by farmers. It was therefore recommended that policies should be made by government for improving tenure security. Land should be made available to enhance agricultural production and programmes to increase the standard of living and the purchase of land should be introduced by the government.

The experiment was conducted to study the effect of varying plant population of two sorghum cultivars on growth and yield at research area Gash Delta Eastern Sudan, during 2014/15 and 2016/17) seasons. The RCBD design used for split-split plot trail. The treatments include two cultivars (Tabat andAklamoi) and three planting densities (spacing within the row of 30, 45 and 60 cm between holes and the number of seeds per hole factor with 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 seeds per hole).The obtained results revealed that, the two tested sorghum cultivars particularly in the second seasons showed highly significant differences in stem girth, leave area index, panicle/m2, seeds /panicle, 100-seed weight and grain yield/ha. Aklamoi was better than Tabat in panicle/m2, 100-seed weight while, Tabat exceeded Aklamoi in stem girth, leaf area and grain yield particularly at plant population 208333 plant/ha which was achieved from 30cm inter-row spacing with five plants/hole in the first Season. The obtained grand mean of grain yield of Sorghum and the observations across the two experimental seasons indicate the high adaptability, the highest growth and the highest grain yield of Sorghum under the conditions of the Gash Delta. Early maturity of sorghum cultivars is more important to cultivate under shortage flooding seasons.

Inappropriate fertilizer application usage is among the problems associated with eggplant production in Ogbomoso agro-ecological zone. Field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso to assess the effects of different fertilizers on the performance of five varieties of eggplant. The treatments consisted of five fertilizer types (No fertilizer, Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 100%), Organic fertilizer (100% compost), 50% compost + 50% NPK and 75% compost + 25% NPK) and five varieties of eggplant (Nacy, Ravenna, Nathelie, Reth and Orma). The fertilizer treatments were supplied at the equivalent rate of 60 kg N/ha. The experiment was a factorial experiment laid out in randomized complete block design. The five fertilizer types and five eggplant varieties translates to 25 treatment combinations, which was replicated three times. The agronomic and yield data collected were analyzed using the analysis of variance procedure while the treatment means were separated using the Duncan Multiple range test at 5% level of probability. It was observed that application of fertilizer improved the growth and yield attributes of eggplant when compared with where no fertilizer was applied. Combined application of 50% compost + 50% NPK and 75% compost and 25% NPK gave the highest fruit yields of 31.8 and 29.9 t/ha, respectively, which were not different significantly from each other. Ravenna variety produced the highest fruit yield (37.1t/ha). Planting of Ravenna variety with application of 50% NPK + 50% compost could be recommended for production of eggplant in the study area.

The study on the effect of different weed management techniques on some chemical properties of soil was carried out on the university teaching and research farm in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State. This project was aimed at determining whether there will be a difference between soil chemical properties in areas treated with herbicide and those without herbicide treatment in the study area. The soil was examined in the field during the survey period after which eight profile pits were dug. Four of the pits were treated with herbicide, while four was not treated with herbicide. The soil samples were taken to the laboratory for analysis. The pH of the soil was found to range from moderately acidic to moderate alkaline with a mean pH values of 6.52 and 6.64 in herbicide and non herbicide use respectively. The electrical conductivity was found to be very low with mean values of herbicide and non-herbicides use of 0.02 and 0.25 respectively. Organic carbon of the soil was found to be moderate. And only organic compound was found to correlation with a significant difference. The exchangeable cations were generally found to be low and the total nitrogen was also found to be low. Generally, soils with chemical weed management practices were found to differ from those managed without chemicals. The major limitation of this project is that, other factor which may cause changes in the soul chemical properties were not considered in this study. I will recommend that further research be done to eliminate all other factors that can cause a change in soil chemical properties in other to determine more accurately the effect of herbicide on soils.

This study was conducted to evaluation of different formulations of Betanal Progress OF herbicide on weeds control of sugar beet field. The experimental design was factorial on the basis of randomized complete block with four replications. Treatments consisted of four different formulations of the herbicide Betanal Progress F (Iranian, Spanish, German and Chinese) with four different doses (3, 4, 4.5 and 5 liters per hectare). Evaluated traits included frequency of weed and dry weight at 15 and 30 days after spraying. Result showed that German formulation and 4.5 liter per ha Betanal Progress F had highest weed control at sugar beet field.

The purpose of contour farming is to reduce runoff and soil erosion on mild slopes. This practice can also increase crop yield through the soil moisture retention in arid and semi-arid regions. Results showed contour cultivation reduced the annual runoff as 10% in compared with cultivation perpendicular to the slope. Also cultivation and planting along contour lines in comparison with cultivation and planting downwards the slop reduced soil losses and water losses as 49.5 and 32%, respectively. Although contour farming reduces runoff and soil erosion largely, but when it's combined with other conservation tillage such as no-tillage or minimum tillage can be more effective. Contour farming on permanent raised beds combined with residue retained on the soil surface is suggested according the results of previous studies as the best practice on mild slopes.

The purpose of conservation tillage is to reduce the intensity of tillage operations and increase the amount of crop residue on soil surface. One of the characteristics of soil in arid and semi-arid areas is the lack of organic matter. Crop residue management is one of the soil fertility and improvement methods that is achieved by conservation tillage. Compared to residue burning, maintaining crop residue on or near the soil surface under no-tillage and minimum tillage methods will improve the organic carbon, Soil structure and activity of micro-organisms. Soil organic matter in a temperate and humid area increased by 16% and in a temperate and dry area increased by 10% than conventional tillage systems.

Changes in soil properties, soil organic C (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks associated with different heating temperatures from 50, 100, and 150 kg/m2 dry biomass that provided for different heat intensities were compared with natural soil temperature of arable land adjacent to the burnt plots. Soil samples were collected in three replicates from control and burnt plots and soil temperatures were measured with soil thermometer placed at surface and sub-surface layers, while gas emissions were measured with sensitive gas dictators. The induced temperatures were highly variable at the soil surface whereas below 15cm depth, the temperature rise was not more than 370C. Modifications of various soil physico-chemical parameters caused by fire were related to increasing temperatures. The passage of fire promoted SOC and TN stocks, mean weight diameter, the aggregation of 2 mm stable structures which become even more resistant to disrupting action of water. The pH decreased to 5.4 at higher temperatures following burning before ashes mineralized. However, both organic matter and ECEC increased at increasing soil temperature. Potassium content remained surprisingly constant as the soil temperature increased. Air quality measurement revealed that NO2, SO2 H2S and CO2 were above the limits indicating air pollution through these activities. Despite the merits of quick release of occluded nutrients, heating temperatures of slash-and-burn method of land clearing altered soil and air quality.

The Study of heavy metal was carried out at mechanic village along Abeokuta-Ibadan Expressway for the presence of heavy metal and uptake efficiency of plant species as a means of phytoremediation. The concentrations of heavy metals determined from the soil of the mechanic village and compared to a control farmland located as Federal University of Agriculture. The soil sample collected at the base of different species of tree showed that the heavy metals were below permissible levels (FAO/WHO standard) and show no significant difference in the range of mean. Absorption of heavy metals by the bark of the trees in the mechanic village was evident when compared relatively to the presence and uptake of the heavy metals from the soil by tree in the average farmland. The mean concentrations of the heavy metals in the soil of the farmland are in this order of magnitude Cd>Cu>Pb, while the mean concentration of the heavy metals in the soil of the mechanic village are in the order of magnitude Pb>Cu>Cd. Lead has the least concentration in the farmland, while in the mechanic village, it is the predominant heavy metal detected which also shows greater significant different at p<0.05 with a value of 24.34 mg/kg which indicates area of high mechanic activity. While the concentration values of heavy metals in the barks in comparison to the FAO/WHO and EC/CODEX standard for these heavy metals shows that the concentration of the heavy metals in those vicinities is within the normal range for cadmium and copper, but the lead present is above the WHO/FAO standard at 0.299 mg/kg and close to the EC/CODEX standard. It can also be concluded that the uptake efficiency of heavy metal under study of the three species are in the order magnitude Mango>Cashew>Neem. We can also recommend that for better efficient cleanup especially where an area is polluted with copper, mango is best bet for the uptake of such metal while if an equal proportion all many heavy metals are evident then it will be better to use Neem as a phytoremediating plant.

In an effort to achieve increased cocoa production in Nigeria, a number of initiatives were introduced towards increasing yields with the aim of reviving the old glory of cocoa and make it an engine of Nigerian economy. Despite this, farmers still produce below expected cocoa production figure due to conditions associated with their farmland. Tenure insecurity hindered acceptability of the established initiatives since majority of the farmers in the cocoa industries are holding the farmland in possession through different arrangements which provide the legal and normative framework within which all agricultural as well as other economic activities are conducted. On this note, this study aims to investigate the effects of tenure arrangement on adoption of CRTs. Result shows that respondents were mostly males, Christians, members of CFAN with mean age of 59.0+10.18 with average household size of 8 people, cultivating an average farm size of 17.38 acres, obtained mostly through different tenural patterns and scattered in different locations. Findings further reveals that age, membership to CFAN and tenure arrangement had significant relationship with adoption of cocoa rehabilitation techniques. And also, there was significant difference in the perception, as well as adoption of selective tree replanting, planting under old cocoa trees, chupon regeneration, coppicing, gapping up between tenant farmers and farm owners at p=0.05. Cocoa industry is mostly populated with tenant farmers who had unfavourable perception about cocoa rehabilitation resulting in low adoption rate due to challenge of insecurity of tenure. Thus, there is need for development of technological packages that meet the need of different categories of farmers based on their respective tenure. Also there is the need for securing land-use rights through improved tenancy arrangements to better meet the interests of small, tenant and landless farmers.

This study was performed to evaluation of Water Stress and Organic matter simultaneously on some morphological characteristics of German chamomile under two mineral and biological N fertilizer treatments. Experiment done as RCBD Experimental design in split split design with 3 factors and 3 replications. First factor included organic fertilizer (application and no application), second factor was biologic nitrogen (application and no application) and third factor included drought stress (80%FC and 50%FC). At the end of study some properties were evaluated such as: Height, Stem diameter, Branch stem number, Flower number, Dry yield of flower and Essential oil%. Using organic matter led to increasing 22, 25, 28, 18, 4 and 9 percent of Height, Stem diameter, Branch stem number, Flower number, Dry yield of flower and Essential oil% respectively. Application of biologic fertilizer had significant on all characteristics, significant reductions were observed by application of drought stress, So Height, Stem diameter, Branch stem number, Flower number, Dry yield of flower and Essential oil% were decreased 22, 23, 35, 50, 60 and 4% in compare to control.

Vertical Integration remains a critical concept for organizational that seeks to own activities along the supply chain with an aim of gaining control of activities within their line of business. In most organizations vertical integration as a strategy once adopted along the supply chain, seeks to have an effect on value addition, cost reduction and control of the activities the organization has owned through vertical integration. The general objective of the project was to identify and evaluate the effects of vertical integration on the performance of agricultural commodity business. The theoretical review established the effects of vertical integration towards the performance of agricultural commodity business. The specific objectives of the study discussed the effects of ownership of warehouses; transport ownership, supplier relationship management and distribution ownership on the performance of agricultural commodity business in Export Trading Co Ltd. The study was conducted through a descriptive design to describe the effects of vertical integration on the performance of the agricultural commodity business. Stratified sampling technique ensured success of coming up with a sample size of 45 respondents from the target population of 148. Primary and secondary data was collected for the research, a semi structured questionnaires was used to collect primary data while press releases, journals, company website will provide secondary data. The primary data will be analyzed through Statistical Program of Social Studies SPSS (Version 20). The study conclusion gave percentage variations of warehousing, transport, distribution and food processing on the performance of agricultural commodity business. This provided a strong practical value from the results to assist future parties of interest within the subject of vertical integration with proper understanding of the subject.

This study was performed to evaluation of vermicompost substrates on amount of organic carbon, total nitrogen and carbon to nitrogen ratio. in training and consulting center of the Flower and plant in the Tehran municipality, District 4. CRD design was selected for our study and treatments included: cattle manure (control), manure + leaves, manure + sawdust and paper with three replications. Eisenia Foetida was selected for study and to analyze the vermicompost, it was placed in semi-shade environment. At the end of vermicomposting process some chemical properties and nutrients were measured such as organic carbon, nitrogen, carbon than nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and initial moisture content, pH, Ec. All treatments had significant effects on studied properties and according to result it was founded that best treatment is manure + leave in compare to control and manure + sawdust and paper and according to Duncan test, there were significant differences between treatments in compare to control.

Maize is one of the cereals crop dominantly grown in tropic and mainly used as food for human being, feed for live stock and the by product also used for construction and fuel. Common bean crop is one of the pulse crop highly cultivated around the low land areas of tropics. Afield experiment was conducted in Guduru animal production research site, during 2015 cropping season to determine the effect of varieties and intra row spacing of common bean intercropped with maize on growth and yield component of the associated crops. Maize variety 540 at 100% (44,444 plants ha-1) was intercropped with four varieties of common bean (Ibbado, Omo, Nasire and Tibe) in a factorial combination with three intra row spacing (5cm, 10cm and 15cm) of the recommended sole common bean and maize. The field was laid out as randomized complete block design with three replications. Common bean varieties were significantly (p< 0.01) affected on ear length, dry biomass, and grain yield and harvest index of the associated maize. Intra row spacing was shown significant effect (p<0.05) on days to 50% tessling, leaf area, dry biomass, grain yield and harvest index of maize crop intercropped with common bean. The highest grain yield (2597.5kg/ha-1) was recorded when maize intercropped with common bean variety of Nasire at 5cm intra row spacing. While the interaction effect was significant effect on plant height, number of ear per plant, and thousand seed weight of maize crop. The main effect of common bean varieties had significant (p<0.01) effect on days to 50% flowering, Plant height, Number of branches, number of seed per pods, dry biomass, grain yield and harvest index when intercropped with maize. The intra row spacing of common bean was shown significant (p<0.05) differences on plant height, number of seed per pods, dry biomass, grain yield and harvest index of common bean intercropped with maize. Interaction effect was significant differences on days to 90% maturity, leaf area index, number of pods per plant, thousand seed weight of common bean intercropped with maize. The highest grain yield (2256kg/ha-1) was recorded when common bean varieties of Nasire intercropped with maize at intra row spacing of 5cm. The main effect of varieties and intra row spacing and interaction were significant (p<0.05) differences on total land equivalent ratio and total growth monetary value. The highest total LER (2.03) and (2.01) was observed when Omo variety of common bean intercropped with maize at intra row spacing of 5cm. The highest total GMV of (23102.1 ETB ha- 1) and (23471.9 ETB ha-1) were recorded when maize intercropped with bean variety of Nasire at intra row of 5cm. While the lowest total GMV (21,123.93kgha-1) was obtained when Tibe variety of common bean was intercropped with maize at 15cm intra row spacing. Therefore, maize (100%) intercropped with common bean variety of Nasire at 5cm intra row spacing was recommended for intercropping in the study area. However, the experiment has to be repeated across locations and over the growing seasons with consideration of farmer’s preference of the common bean varieties to reach at conclusive recommendation were significantly affected by the interaction.

This study is designed to examine the effect of undersupply of fuel on the distribution of agricultural produce in Ogbomoso Agricultural Zone of Oyo State. A multi stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 respondents for this study. Primary data were collected through administration of both well-structured questionnaire and interview schedule to elicit information from agricultural produce distributors. Data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to present the socio economic characteristics of the distributors and test the hypothesis respectively. The result of the finding revealed the socio- economic characteristics of the respondents such as year of experience of the respondents, the mean years of experience is 26years which means that the people have gained enough knowledge about farming and distribution of agricultural produce which could assist them in effective distribution and increase their income, it was also discovered that farming is the main economic activity of the people in the study area and this can bring higher productivity and make agricultural produce available and cheaper for distribution. The result of the finding also shown that the cost charge on transportation of agricultural produce is very high, which in many cases hinder distribution and lowers the distributors income and the quantity that will be distributed, it was also observed that the major causes of undersupply of fuel are: the mode of fuel distribution, oil marketers strike, NUPENG strike and prices at which fuel is sold. It was also revealed that fuel is one of the factors which greatly affect the distribution of agricultural produce in the study area. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that there is need for awareness about distribution of agricultural produce for the youths in the study area. More effort should be employed on the part of fuel marketers so as to effectively distribute fuel and avoid frequent strike. Black market should be discouraged so as to avoid hoarding of fuel and inflation of fuel prices and to ensure availability of fuel all year round. Government should put more effort in stopping NUPENG strike, so that fuel can easily be distributed. Government should improve payment of fuel subsidy so as to regulate and maintain fuel price in the area. Effort should also be made by Government in repairing old refineries so as to ensure availability of fuel all year round. Finally, Government should make effort in providing security on fuel pipes, to avoid underground drilling of fuel by exorbitance. 

Maize stover consists of the leaves and stalks of maize plants left in a field after harvest and it makes up about half of the yield and is similar to straw. Ensiling maize stover with urea makes it a urea treated maize stover. Centrosema pubescens is a legume in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae and tribe Phaseolae. It is native to Central and South America and cultivated in other tropical areas as forage for livestock. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of urea treatment on chemical composition; feed intake, blood urea and ammonia of maize stover. The potential of such a stover for growth performance of calves were investigated using 8 N’dama calves of 5 to 8 months of age and an average initial live weight of 92.5 kg. The animals were divided into two groups each of which were individually fed to appetite on basal diets of either untreated maize stover and Centrosema pubescens (Diet T1) or 5 % urea treated maize stover and Centrosema pubescens (Diet T2) for 90 days. In addition all the calves were allowed free access to mineral/vitamin blocks and ample drinking water ad libitum. Urea treatment increased the crude protein (CP) content of maize stover in Diet T2 by 22.12% and also a highly significant difference (p<0.01) in the crude fibre (CF) content over the untreated stover in Diet T1. Besides, compared with the untreated stover, urea treatment brought an improvement of 28% in daily feed intake. These improvements in terms of chemical composition, daily feed intake and dry matter intake led to a highly significant (p<0.01) live weight gain of animals fed on the urea treated stover diet compared with those fed on the untreated stover diet. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in blood urea levels but significant existed in feed cost/kg gain and linear body measurements between the animals fed on Diet T1 and those fed on Diet T2. Generally, with the added advantage of Diet T2 being more cost effective than Diet T1, feeding urea treated maize stover may be considered as one of the strategies that bring about an efficient utilization of crop residues for livestock feeding in Eastern part of Nigeria. However, its economic advantage over other alternatives must carefully be examined under the prevailing price conditions before it is implemented in an area.

Effect of supplementary phytase and mineral chelators were determined in 28-day chicks’ growth assay. Six isonitrogenous, isocaloric diets, equal in minerals, sulphur amino acids and lysine were formulated; a control with no inorganic phosphorus and 5 other diets containing 0.03% phytase, 0.1% EDTA, 1.5% citric acid, 0.03% phytase + 0.1% EDTA and 0.03% phytase + 1.5% citric acid, respectively. Diets were randomly assigned to 36 individually caged chicks. Phytase, EDTA or citrate supplements resulted in increase in feed intake, body weight gain and feed efficiency improvement (P<0.05). Serum alkaline phosphatase and organs relative weights were insignificantly different (P>0.05) but a significant increase in serum phosphorus and bursa of Fabricius were observed when phytase fed combined with EDTA or citrate (P<0.05). Minerals in tibia, P and Mg in toes were increased by citrate or EDTA supplement (P<0.05). Supplementary phytase plus citrate or EDTA generates more phosphorus and enhances nutrients utilisation.

Experiment was set up in 2013 at the experimental field of Savannah Agriculture Research Institute to evaluate the effect of split nitrogen application on growth and yield of lowland rice. It was made up of ten treatments laid out in split plot design with three replications. Treatments were made up of two low land rice varieties (Jasmine and Degang) randomly assigned to main plots and five levels of N fertilization (control, 60 kg NPK/ha, 60 kg NPK/ha + 30 kg N/ha, 60 kg NPK/ha + 15 + 15 kg N/ha and 60 kg NPK/ha +10 + 10 + 10 kg N/ha) randomly assigned to sub plots. Fertilizers used were NPK (15-15-15) and Sulfan (24% nitrogen). Variety x split N fertilization had no significant (P>0.05) effect on all parameters measured. Main effect of variety and split N fertilization significantly (P<0.05) affected most parameters measured, especially grain yield. Jasmine proved superior to Degang in grain yield. Application of 60 kg NPK/ha + 30 N/ha optimized rice growth and maximized yield similar to 60 kg NPK/ha + 15 kg N/ha + 15 kg N/ha and 60 kg NPK/ha + 10 kg N/ha + 10 kg N /ha + 10 kg N/ha. Application of 60 kg NPK/ha + 30 N/ha is recommended for increase rice yield and income of farmers, as split application at 15 + 15 kg N/ha and 10 + 10 + 10 kg N/ha attract additional labour cost.

The study was carried out for two winter seasons of 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 at the Demonstration farm of Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources ,University of Kassala ,Halfa aljadidah. The objective of this to study the effect of sowing date and faba bean cultivar on the icidence of the leaf miner in faba bean. The Four cultivars were Hudeiba93, SML, Bassaber, Elddamer while three sowing dates were 5 November, 20 November and 5 December. Data were recorded for leaf miner infestation and grain yield components (number of pods, weight of 100 seed and seed weight kg /ha ).The results indicated that mean number of mines of L.trifolii in the third sowing date higher than those of first and second sowing dates, respectively. Also ,the highest number of pods per plant (6.27) was recorded in Hudeiba 93 which was significantly higher than SML cultivar. Moreover, the highest seed yield (871kg /ha) was recorded from Eddamer followed by Hudeiba 93(792kg /ha) and Bassaber (755 kg/ha) while lowest seed yield of (571 kg/ha) was recorded from SML. In conclusion, the highest seed yield of 1017kg /ha was recorded in Eddamer at second sowing date.

Using hardwood cuttings is the most common method for propagation of pomegranate. Due to the high demand for raw materials in pomegranate production nurseries, and to reduce raw material consumption, comparison of different cutting methods as single-node, two-nodes and four-nodes with smaller and larger than 8 mm diameters, was investigated in greenhouse condition, and on a mixture of sand and perlite bed in the ratio of 2 to 1. Also effects of two levels of IBA hormone treatment with concentrations of 1500 ppm and 3000 ppm and 2N sulfuric acid on increasing of pomegranate single-node cuttings rooting were tested. Cultivars used in this study were Shirin-e-Saveh and Malas-e-Torsh planted on March 2010 and January 2011, and statistically analyzed as factorial in a completely randomized design. According to the obtained results single-node cuttings with diameters smaller than 8 mm had better rooting. Shirin-e-Saveh cultivar showed better rooting compared to Malas-e-Torsh cultivar and also IBA hormone treatment with concentrations of 1500 ppm and 3000 ppm did not show significant effect on increasing of single-node cuttings rooting. Whereas acid treatment in Shirin-e-Saveh cultivar caused facilitation in rooting,best average for some of roots (11 roots) were found in single-node cuttings of Shirin-e-Saveh cultivar treated with sulfuric acid.

Grain shape quality traits of twenty (20) rice genotypes were studied in order to understand the effects of drought stress on quality traits of rice. The result of Analysis of Variance clearly indicates that genotypes significantly differ for studied grain quality traits under both for normal as well as drought prone environments, except grain breadth /thickness without bran under stress condition. Higher heritability estimates for all quality traits under both environments indicate that these characters are controlled by multiple genes. Results showed that grain length was positively correlated with length to width ratio (0.863* and 0.668*) and negatively correlated with grain width (-0.614** and -0.313**) and grain breadth (-0.321**and -0.030ns) under both normal and stress conditions respectively. Grain width was positively correlated with grain breadth (0.711** and 0.486**) and negatively correlated with length to width ratio (-0.926* and -0.910*) under both conditions respectively. Grain width was highly correlated with yield per plant (0.386** and 0.315**) under both, normal and drought stress respectively. It shows that reduction in grain width has direct effect on grain yield. Under normal condition, yield was positively correlated with grain width (0.386**) and grain breadth (0.552*) indicating that grain width and grain breadth should be considered while screening high yielding genotypes under normal condition and grain width should be considered for drought stres

Effect of Selenium (Se) concentration in the nutrient solution on quality and Nitrogen, Potassium concentration of Brussels sprout plants (Brassica oleracea, var Gemmifera) was evaluated. The Brussels sprout plants were treated with six concentration of Se as selenate sodium (Na2 SeO4., 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg L-1). Treatments were arranged in a completely randomize design with four replicates. The total soluble solid, vitamin C increased by increasing Se concentration from 0 to 8 mg L-1. Also, results showed the effect of Se application (0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg/l Se as Na2SeO4) increased nitrogen and potassium content of young and old leaves plants as compared with the control treatments in floating system. However they were reduced in 16 and 32 mg L-1 Se concentration. It can be concluded that Se supplements (8 mg L-1) improve yield, quality and Se concentration in the bud.

Influence of Selenium (Se) concentration in the nutrient solution on yield, quality, and Se status of Brussels sprout plants (Brassica oleracea, varGemmifera) was evaluated.The Brussels sprout plants were treated with six concentration of Se asselenate sodium (Na2 SeO4., 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg L-1).Treatments were arranged in a completely randomize design with four replicates. The highest concentration of Se in the leaves, buds and stem was observed at the 32mg L-1 Se concentration. The total Se accumulation in percentage differed among different parts of plants. Total Se for the differ parts of plants ranged from 2.44 to 65.93% and old leaves accounted for the greatest proportion of total Se, followed by stem, young leaves, roots and buds in descending order. Increasing Se concentration increased Se allocation to the roots, while reduced the Se allocation to the buds. The size of buds increased by increasing Se concentration from 0 to 8 mg L-1. However it was reduced in 16 and 32mg L-1 Se concentration. It can be concluded that Se supplements (8mg L-1) improve yield, and Se concentration in the bud.

Overview of root system may clarify some aspects of breeding crops under saline stress condition. In an experiment studied 8 genotypes of wheat (spring cultivars) consist of Quds, Shiraz, Sorkh-Tokhm, Sistani, Mahooti, Falat, Bam and Arg at 3 levels of salinity stress with six replications. The present work, conducted in green-house of Zanjan University in the process of constant condition (T=27±2 °C, L:D= 16:8, RH=60±5 %) in 2011. Variation of few root attributes such as, Shoot Dry Weight (SDW), Root Dry Weight (RDW), the Ratio of Root Dry Weight /Shoot Dry Weight (R/S), Root Area (RA), Root Volume (RV), Root Area Per Volume (RAPV), Root Density (RD), the Average of Root Diameter (ARD), Root Area Index (RAI), Special Root Area (SRA), Root Area Density (RAD), Root Volume Ratio (RVR), and Specific Root Mass (SRM) evaluated before pollination step. The results showed that Sistani and Sorkh-tokhm Genotype Showed Highest resistance in compare to other cultivars. Therefore, selection and breeding traits on wheat would be possible to find the more consequential types for further crop products.

Bovine blood/rumen content mixture (BBRCM) is an abattoir by-product that provides a cheap source of livestock feed. It is a source of protein which is readily available at the slaughter house. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of broiler chicks fed bovine blood/ rumen content mixture (BBRCM) as partial replacement for soybean meal. Experimental diets T1 which served as the control contained 0% BBRCM, diets T2, T3 and T4 contained 20%, 40% and 60% BBRCM respectively. Sixty (60) five weeks old Anak 2000 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to the four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design (CRD). Each treatment was replicated three times with five birds per replicate. The experiment lasted for 35 days. Results showed that there were significant differences in the growth performance of the birds on the treatment groups in all the measurements recorded. Birds fed T4 diet had the highest weight gain and the best feed conversion ratio. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in weight gain as the inclusion level increased. The feed intake of birds fed diet T1 was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those fed other treatment diets while T4 recorded the least. There were significant (p<0.05) differences on the feed conversion ratio of the birds fed diets T1, T2, T3 and T4. T1 had the poorest feed conversion ratio. Organ weights were not significantly affected (p>0.05). The result of the experiment showed that bovine blood/rumen content mixture can replace soybean meal in the diet at up to 60% level without any negative effect. Economics of production showed that bovine blood/rumen content mixture were profitable as regards to the cost of feed per kg weight gain and thus cost savings. Key note: BBRCM (Bovine Blood Rumen Content Mixture), carcass characteristics, economics of production.

In recent time, there is increasing interest in diversified agricultural production systems to obtain higher yields per unit area through better use of natural resources, minimizing the incidence of insect pests and diseases, greater stability and crop insurance offered by intercropping systems. Field experiment was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2011 and 2012 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Keffi – Lafia Campus to study the effect of poultry manure and planting arrangement on the soil physico-chemical properties and yield of Sesame/groundnut mixture. The experiment consisted of four rates of poultry manure (0, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 t ha-1) and two planting arrangement (single alternate row and double alternate row planting arrangement). The eight treatment combinations were laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. The results obtained showed that the soil physical structure was slightly improved; total N, available P and organic carbon of the experimental soil were increased by 20, 62 and 6% respectively after the experiment. Yield and yield characters of the two crops were significantly increased by the application of 6 t ha-1 of poultry manure and double row planting arrangement. Land equivalent ratio was greater than unity indicating that the intercropping system was advantageous.

A field trial was carried out for two years to ascertain performance of marigold (var. Pusa Narangi) planted at three spacings and on six different dates at bimonthly interval i.e. on first day of March, May, July, September, November and January. The crop planted on 1st March showed early flowering compared to other planting dates. The best performance with respect to flower size, weight and number of flowers per plant was recorded with 1st September planting. The highest number of branches and plant canopy spread were attained with May and July plantings. In both the years wider spacing of 40 cm x 40 cm produced best results with respect to maximum flower diameter, weight of individual flower, and number of flower per plant. However, the total best yield per unit area was higher when the crop was planted on 1st September at 40cm x 20 cm spacing.

This study focused on the production of fuel briquettes from wheat offal. The variables investigated are particle size and blending ratio. The wheat offal used was sourced from Maiduguri Flour Mill. The material was sieved into fine, medium and coarse particle sizes using 1mm and 2mm wire mesh. Each particle size was thoroughly mixed with gelatinous cassava starch in ratios; 90:10, 85:15, 80:20 and 75:25 by weight. The blended material was then hand-fed into a 3.11cm x 40.50cm cylindrical mould and compressed at a pressure of 10.76kg.cm-2. In order to have enough briquettes for material testing, each production was replicated 10 times. The physical properties; stability of the briquettes was evaluated as a function of compressed and relaxed density, relaxation ratio, moisture content while the combustion properties; %volatile matter, %ash content, %fixed carbon and heat value were evaluated for each production. The result shows that all the physical properties of the briquette were greatly influenced by particle size (p<0.001). In density, there is no significant effect of the binder level on the briquette produced but gives the highest result when medium particles size was used with the valued of 1.06g/cm3 and lowest in coarse particle 0.46g/cm3, binder level had no significant effect on briquette produced (p= 0.281).The EMC was best in medium particle size with the value 131.25% at 25% binder level with the value 135.63%, EMC was significantly affected by binder level. Volatile matter was not influenced by particle size and binder level at (p=0.581) and (p=0.980) respectively but has better performance in medium particle size of 4.30% at 15% with the value of 4.14%. Ash content was not significantly influenced by particle size at (p=0.0069) but significantly influenced by binder level at (p<0.002) and was preferable in medium particles of 2.40% at 10% binder level with the value 2.08%. Fixed carbon was not influenced by particle size at (p=0.150), also better in medium particle of 93.84% at 20% binder level with value 94.01%, while Heat value was influenced by particle size and binder level at( p=0.005)and (p=0.0021) respectively, highest with medium particles of 33.52mj/kg at 20% level of binder with the value 33.59mj/kg. It was observed that better and combustible briquette can be obtained from medium particles of wheat offal at low binder ratio.