Agriculture

Low soil fertility and drought condition are main crop production challenges that threatening food security in semi-arid areas. Use of fertilizer at micro dose rates together with in-situ rainwater harvesting using infiltration pits (IP) or tied ridges (TR) are low-input strategies to cope with these challenges. This research was conducted to investigate effects of integrating fertilizer micro dose rates and in-situ rainwater harvesting using IP and TR on groundnut yield and its household profitability to Tanzania smallholder farming groups. Field experiments were conducted from 2015/2016 to 2016/2017 cropping seasons. Infiltration pits and tied ridges increased groundnut yield significantly by 20.2 to 32.6 % and 34.2 to 46.6% respectively over flat cultivation. Fertilizer micro dose at 50% of recommended rate significantly increased yield by 50.8 to 64.7 % over zero application. Integration of TR with fertilizer at RR resulted into highest groundnut yield ranged from 1,034 to 1,096 kg/ha and highest NP ranged from 1,027 to 1,081 USD/ha. The integrations of TR and fertilizer micro dose at 50% of recommended had significant higher yield ranged from 748 to 1,086 kg/ha and higher NP ranging from 405 to 662 USD/ha compared to famer practice. The integrations of micro dose rate of 50% of recommended rate and tied ridges is therefore recommended to small holder’s famers located in semi dry areas of central Tanzania. This will enable farmers to achieve highly agronomic and economic performances compared to farmer practices.

Feed restriction is one of the methods used in commercial treatment in poultry breeding industry to reduce the cost of production. This study was carried out to examine the effect of feed restriction on growth performance characteristics of broiler chickens. A total of sixty Anak broiler chicks were used. The birds were allotted into four dietary treatments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Each treatment was replicated three times with five birds per replicate. The dietary treatments were identified as T1, T2, T3 (which was commercial diet from Vital feed industry) and T4. The study lasted for a period of 8 weeks which includes 2 weeks of acclimatization prior to the starting of experiment. Birds on T1 were on ad libitum feeding throughout the experimental period, T2 were on 70% ad libitum for the first 21 days followed by ad libitum feeding for the last 21 days, T3 were on 70% ad libitum throughout the experimental period and T4 were on 70% of commercial diet + 30% sun-dried maize sievette throughout the experimental period. Analysis of data showed that the final body weight of T1 and T4 were significantly difference among other treatments (p<0.05). Feed intake values of T1 and T4 were significantly (p<0.05) higher than T2 and T3. Feed efficiency did not differ between treatments. Result on carcass quality revealed that there was a significant difference between the slaughtered weight of T1 and other treatments. But similarities existed between T2 and T4. No significant differences were found between T1, T2 and T4 for the breast, drum stick/thigh, wing and gizzard weight but T3 remains the lowest among the treatments. From the result, birds on T1 had the highest feed intake followed by T4, T2 and T3. T3 had the least net return. Based on this experiment, T4 was found to be of more economic value.

A field experiment was carried out at the experimental Station of National Research Centre – El-Nubarya district, El-Behera Governorate, Egypt during two seasons of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 to study the effect of drought stress (2504, 2003 and 1502 m3/fed/Season) (100 % IR, 80 % IR and 60 % IR) and four foliar application levels of ascorbic acid (AA) (0.0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L) and their interaction on yield, irrigations water use efficiency of wheat, protein content and protein yield under newly reclaimed sandy soil conditions Results indicated that water irrigation requirement varied significantly in all studied characters. The water irrigation requirement of (80 % IR) produced high grain yield per faddan and insignificantly outyielded the water irrigation requirements of (100 % IR). Increasing foliar application levels of ascorbic acid significantly increased grain and straw yields per plant and per faddan as well as protein content, protein yield, plant height, spike length, seed index, number of spikelet’s per spike and water use efficiency. Results indicated that the interaction between water irrigation requirements and foliar application levels of ascorbic acid had significant effect on all studied characters. The interaction between the water irrigation requirements of (80% IR) and (300 mg/L) foliar application level of ascorbic acid gave the highest values of grain, straw and protein yields per faddan, water use efficiency and significantly outyielded the other all interactions. This means that we can save 20 % of irrigation water by using 80 % IR to irrigate the new lands under the conditions of this trail.

Nowadays, controlling herbal pest and spraying operation are considered as important and inevitable activities in agriculture. In case the mentioned operation is performed in a proper manner and chosen a suitable sprayer, the cost of spraying and following operation will decrease and the yield will increase. Given the fact that Eurygaster Integriceps has been known as the most important pest of wheat which is a strategic product throughout the world, farmers use different sprayers in order to control this pest. In this study, micronair, electrostatic atomizer, atomizer, lance, and simple backpack sprayers were compared in the form of randomized complete blocks with four iterations, for controlling the Eurygaster Integriceps. The obtained data were analyzed through SPSS software. The results of the evaluation at the level of 5% revealed that, regarding the operation effect grade for controlling Eurygaster Integriceps pest, micronair sprayer with a 82.09% of died pest was at the highest rank, and electrostatic atomizer sprayer with a 75.88%, atomizer sprayer with a 72.40%, lance sprayer with a 66.60%, and simple backpack sprayer with a 62.58 % of died pests are at the next ranks. Given the obtained results in this study, for controlling Eurygaster Integriceps in the region of Kermanshah, micronair, electrostatic atomizer, atomizer, lance, and backpack sprayer were recommended, respectively.

The effect of three different rates of poultry droppings (0kg/ha, 12kg/ha, 24kg/ha) and plant spacing (30cm x 50cm; 40cm x 50cm; 50cm x 50cm) and the soil chemical properties and yield of cucumber was studied in a field trial at Igbariam south eastern, Nigeria. The experiment was conducted as a 3x3 factorial laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications. The result of the study showed that poultry droppings and plant spacing significantly (p=0.05) increased the growth and yield of cucumber and improved the soil chemical parameters assessed. The values obtained increased as the rate of poultry droppings increased from zero level and decreased as the planting distance increased. The closest plant spacing (30cm x 50cm) and poultry droppings at the rate of 24kg/ha recorded the highest value in both crop and soil parameters assessed in this trial. Though the result of Mg2+ showed a decrease as the rate of poultry droppings increased and Ca2t result did not follow any particular trend. The spacing and poultry droppings interaction was significant for fruit yield (Weight of fruit), length of fruit and vine length, but generally showed non-significant for all the soil parameters measured. The result of the study showed that cucumber production could be enhanced at 24kg/ha poultry droppings and at a closer plant spacing of 30cm x 50cm for optimum yield.

The present study was carried out at farmers fields in Simdega district of Jharkhand during Kharif 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the effects of different methods of transplanting/seeding on yield and economics of medium land rainfed rice. The experiment was conducted with four methods of transplanting/seeding {T1: Farmers practice (Transplanting of 25-30 day old seedlings, more than 5 seedlings/hill at uneven distance and two manual weedings.), T2 : Cultivation under modified SRI (10-12 days old seedling, 25x25 cm2 spacing, single seedling/hill, two weeding by cono weeder and regular ponding of rain water in field.), T3 : Sowing of sprouted seeds by drum seeder and weeding two by cono weeder., T4 :Conventional practice (Transplanting of 20-25 days old seeding, 2-3 seedling/hill at 20x20 cm2 and two mannual weedings.) in 10 replications at farmers filed under RBD. All growth, yield attributing characters, yield and net return was found significantly highest in modified SRI (T2) followed by conventional method. Conventional method and sowing by cono weeder were found at par. The lowest performance was found under farmers practice.

A field experiment was conducted at Jammu during 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 to evaluate the effect of two establishment methods (conventional sowing and zero tillage) in wheat (Triticum aestivum ) and four establishment methods (conventional transplanting of 25 days seedling, dry seeding @ 40 Kg/ha, wet seeding after puddling @ 40 kg/ha and SRI methods) and 4 sowing schedules (15th May, 25th May, 5th June and 15th June) in rice (Oryza sativa) under rice-wheat cropping system. Rice establishment methods and sowing schedules had significant impact on growth, yield attributes and yield of rice. Both the direct seeded methods of rice, being at par, recorded significantly higher mean grain yield and other growth parameters of rice as compared to conventional transplanting or SRI method. Similarly, 15th June rice sowing schedule resulted in marked increased in all the growth parameters, yield attributes and grain yield of rice as compared with other sowing schedules. However, both the establishment methods of wheat failed to cause any significant effect on growth and yield of succeeding wheat crop. Establishment methods of wheat and rice as well as sowing schedules of hybrid rice did not cause marked effect on soil physico-chemical parameters as well as available nutrient (N, P and K) content after completion of rice-wheat cycle. However, bulk density of soil at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths was observed considerably higher with zero tilled wheat, while the minimum in system of rice intensification (SRI) method. Higher net returns and benefit cost ratio were recorded when wheat was established through zero tillage and rice through wet seeded sown on 15th of June in rice-wheat cropping system.

This study was conducted to evaluation of wheat application on barley yield under drought condition at RCBD design with 3 replications. First factor included wheat (application of cytokenin and control) and second factor was drought stress (control, mild stress, sever stress). At the end of experiment some properties were studied such as height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield. SAS statistical software was performed for analysis and by Duncan's multiple range test used at the level of 5% for mean comparisons. Totally, results showed that drought stress had significant effect on studied traits, so severe stress led to 31, 38, 34, 37 and 60% reduction of height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield in compare to control, respectively. Also cytokenine led to 21, 20, 21, 22 and 40% increasing of height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield in compare to control, respectively

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.

Two field experiments were carried out at Arab El-Awammer Research Station, Agric. Res. Center Assiut Governorate during winter seasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. The present study assessed the effect of crop sequence and nitrogen fertilization on productivity of wheat. The experimental treatments were four crop sequences with three nitrogen fertilizer rates. Treatments were arranged in a factorial experiment 3×4 based on a RCBD with four replications. These results suggest that the sequence of cowpea / clover / wheat and the sequence of cowpea + maize / clover / wheat produced the maximum yield and its components of wheat as compared with the other sequences. Naturally Occurring Biological Control Agents (NOBCA) the maximum number of agents was existed in the sequences of cowpea / clover / wheat and cowpea + maize / clover / wheat. The lowest number was existed in the sequence of maize / wheat. The present research proved that the two promising sequences contributed so much in increasing the cropping area. Therefore, the cropping index was increased to be 2.87 or 3.39 in the year for the two sequences of cowpea / clover / wheat and cowpea + maize / clover / wheat, respectively. These values are considered to be more than the traditional index in Egypt which is 1.73. The net return from the sequence of cowpea + maize / clover / wheat was the highest when compared with the other sequences. Thus increasing the cropping area which increased the cropping index caused an increase in the net return.