Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (JARTS)
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Evaluation of Nematicidal Action of Some Botanicals on Meloidogyne incognita In Vivo and In Vitro
Get PDFEggmasses or larvae of Meloidogyne incognita were exposed to varying concentrations of neem leaf (fresh and dry), Borelia sp., groundnut leaf and garlic bulb. Neem leaf and garlic bulb extracts inhibited hatching of eggmasses and were lethal to larva. A comparative study of neem and garlic bulb extracts prepared at 20% concentration and applied weekly at 25 ml per pot were carried out in the screenhouse. Each pot filled with 2 kg of pasturised soil was inoculated with 2000 larvae of M. incognita by introducing 500 g of infested soil from tomato culture raised in the screenhouse. These extracts significantly reduced root-knot infection indices on tomato when compared to the control. However, garlic extract demonstrated greater potential than neem leaf extract in the control of root-knot infection of tomato in vivo
Evaluation of Botanical Mixtures for Insect Pests Management on Cowpea Plants
Get PDFStudies were conducted at the Research Farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Zaria in 1999 and 2000 rainy seasons to evaluate the efficacy and synergistic activity of extracts mixtures from herbal landraces in reducing pests numbers on cowpea plants and ensuring high yield of grains. The extracts mixed in a ratio 10:10 % w/w included: cashew nutshell + garlic bulb; cashew nutshell + African pepper and garlic bulb + chilli pepper. The results indicated that all the herbal extract mixtures reduced the numbers of the tested insect pests (legume flower bud thrips, legume pod borer larvae and pod sucking bugs) and pod damage as well as increased grain yields by 4 - 5 times compared to the untreated control in the two years of investigation. The synergistic advantage of mixing two different plant species in botanical formulations could play a key role in the renewed effort to control pests of agricultural crops using biopesticides
Effect of different types and doses of nitrogen fertilizers on yield and quality characteristics of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Sing) cultivated on wheat straw compost
Get PDFThe most important prerequisite for a successful mushroom production is a high-quality compost substrate.F or the present study wheat straw was used as bulk ingredient for the compost substrate preparation. In order to improve the C/N ratio and to accelerate the composting process, all substrate formulas need the addition of nitrogen-rich supplements at the outset of composting. Besides organic nitrogen sources, inorganic nitrogen supplements are also applied, when high-carbohydrate bulk ingredients are used. In the present work four different nitrogen fertilizers (urea (46 % N), ammonium nitrate (33.5 % N), calcium ammonium nitrate (26 % N) and ammonium sulfate (21 % N)) in three doses were applied as nitrogen sources and the effect on yield and some quality characteristics (cap weight, stalk weight, cap diameter, stalk diameter and stalk length) was investigated. The fertilizer application had only an unimportant effect on the cape diameter, which is an important characteristic for the classification of mushrooms, but had a stronger effect on the stalk length, which is also important for the classification. The highest dose of calcium ammonium nitrate produced the significant highest yield at the same time this variant also resulted in good results regarding the investigated quality characteristics
Host Preference and Seasonal Variation of Tick (Amblyomma cohaerens Donitz, 1909) on Naturally Infested Cattle in Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia
Get PDFThe seasonal dynamics of tick Amblyomma cohaerens on naturally infested cattle in Jimma Zone was studied from September 1998 to September 2000 using fifty cattles in five Localities. Monthly tick counts were made for two consecutive years. Although, Amblyomma cohaerens infestation occurred throughout the year, it was greater at the beginning and end of the rainy season. High humidity and temperature were the factors that influence the seasonal variation.Th e study on the host preference of different blood groups showed that host selection and specificity correlate with the abundance and distribution of the tick. These have been reflected by the presence of more tick in highbred cattle than the indigenous Zebu
Integrated Use of Farmyard Manure and NP fertilizers for Maize on Farmers’ Fields
Get PDFA study was initiated in 1997 to introduce the culture of supplementing low rates of NP fertilizers with farmyard manure (FYM) in the maize based farming system of western Oromia. The treatments were 0/0, 20/20, 40/25 and 60/30 kg N/P ha−1 and 0, 4, 8, and 12 t FYM ha−1 in factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment was conducted at Laga Kalla, Walda, Shoboka, Harato, and Bako Research Center using BH-660 hybrid maize. The FYM used for the experiment was well decomposed under shade and spot applied together with the P fertilizer at planting; N was applied in split form. The residual effects of FYM were investigated for Laga Kalla, Walda and Shoboka during the 1998 cropping season. Statistical analysis revealed that the N/P fertilizers and FYM significantly (p 0.05) increased grain yield in all locations except for Walda in 1997. Interactions of FYM and NP fertilizer rates were significant (p ≤ 0.05) at all locations except for Shoboka. The application of FYM alone at rates of 4, 8, and 12 t ha−1 produced average grain yields of 5.76, 5.61 and 5.93 t ha−1, respectively, compared to 3.53 t ha−1 for the control treatment in 1997. There were significant residual effects of FYM and NP fertilizers applied in 1997 on maize grain yields in 1998. Laboratory analysis confirmed that considerable amounts of macronutrients and small amounts of micronutrients were supplied by FYM. Based on the results of this study, the integrated use of properly managed FYM and low rates NP fertilizers could be used for maize production in the areas under consideration. Moreover, sole applications of FYM on relatively fertile soils like Walda and Harato are useful in maintaining soil fertility and are encouraging for resource poor farmers
Plant Species Diversity of Home Gardens in El Obeid, Central Sudan
Get PDFHome gardens are very common in El Obeid, but information about plant species diversity and its significance for household food supply is not available. To analyse this, cultivated plants of 81 home gardens were surveyed. The plants studied in the home gardens included those for human consumption such as fruit trees, wild fruit trees and vegetables. In total, 32 plant species were found in the study gardens. The range of species was found, because irrigation is used under semiarid conditions. However, the lack of continuous sufficient irrigation water is the main factor which prevents an increase in species number and species diversity. In general, home garden products are mainly used as supplemental food in households and not sold on local markets
Effect of Two Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Fodder Cultivars as Supplements on Voluntary Intake; Milk Yield and Manure Production of Bunaji Cows
Get PDFThe feeding value of fodder from two cowpea cultivars to a basal maize stover diet was investigated using fifteen lactating White Fulani (Zebu) cows. The two cultivars were IT-716 and 994-DP. Diet was constituted as 50g DM/kg live weight and each of the cultivars was supplemented at 50% of the daily dry matter requirement of individual animals. The experimental design was a complete randomize. The parameters measured included feed intake, milk yield and composition and manure production. In a separate trial, dry matter degradation of the fodder was assessed. There were no significant differences in dry matter intake of the supplements. However, the dry matter intake of stover in the control diet was higher than those on the supplemented groups. The milk yields ranged from 887 to 1378 ml/day. Milk yield differed among treatments. Supplementation did not affect (P 0.05) fat, protein, total solids and ash contents of the milk across the treatments. Manure productions were not significantly different among the treatments. Similarly, content of N, P and K in manure were comparable among the treatments except for N that was lower (P 0.05) in the control group. The dry matter degradation was influenced by the fodder cultivars. The feeding of dual-purpose forage legumes residues could enhance milk production in lactating Zebu cows. This may be further increased by exploring other ways of improving feed residue utilization in the dry season
Assessing NGDOs’ Targeting Performance and Characteristics of Households Participating in Child Development Programmes in Rural Eastern Kenya
Get PDFTargeting beneficiaries of development interventions in the context of poverty alleviation remains a challenge to most development agencies and policy-makers. Due to limited resources and the small scale of operations, most non governmental development organisations’ (NGDOs) practice targeting in order to limit themselves to interventions that only select a group of individuals considered to be most in need. This paper analyses the targeting performance of two child-safety net programmes operating in rural Kenya and examines the factors influencing it. In addition, an econometric model is developed to identify the characteristics of the households participating in these programmes. Data for this paper was collected through a household survey of 120 randomly selected households, stratified equally into participants and non-participants. The targeting performance of the studied NGDOs’ interventions was found to be poor due to reliance on local social structures that led to under-representation of the poorest group of households in programme activities. The paper further shows that although the case study NGDOs and their child programmes could be supporting households with characteristics that indicate that they are not among the well-off in the society, such households do not necessarily belong to the poorest group of community members in relative terms
Access to Rural Land in Eastern Ethiopia: Mismatch between Policy and Reality
Get PDFSociThis paper explores the different means of access to land in three districts of Eastern Ethiopia. Data collected from a random sample of 313 heads of households were used in the study. The results show that as land is state-owned and farmers have only usufruct rights on land allocated to them by local authorities, access to additional cultivable land is achieved through land rental transactions (mainly in the form of sharecropping) and land borrowing. Another important finding of this study is that the average land holding has been declining over the years as a result of increased demographic pressure, resulting in individual farm units that are generally too small to be economically viable. The study also makes it clear that the issue of access to cultivated land is inextricably linked to other important factors such as availability of credit, market integration, effective advisory service, etc
Klasse, Land und Produktionsbeziehungen in Gunung Kidul- Ein Beitrag zur agrarischen Transformation des ländlichen Java
Get PDFResearch on agrarian transformations in rural Java has mainly focused on issues of technology, market penetration, institutional change and demographic pressure resulting in a rapid class polarisation and the dissolution of traditional welfare mechanisms. In examining rural change in the highland regions of Gunung Kidul, Central Java, this paper shows that processes of socio-economic change in Java are not at all uniform. Under certain circumstances, instead of being substituted, so-called “traditional” arrangements and practices are even newly created. Such arrangements can formally function as welfare institutions without being the outcome of welfare-oriented decisions and motivations. Before the 70ties, sharecropping-arrangements were confined to close kin and land rent systems had not been established in the area with farmers co-operating on the basis of “generalised reciprocity”. Instead of being institutional features since “time immemorial”, such organisational devices emerged as a response to changes in the labour market induced by high rates of out-migration. Despite significant disparities in land ownership, no exclusionary contractual arrangements exist.Rur al society did not split into two unequal parts of landowners and marginalised wage workers and patron-client-relationships are only weakly developed.In difference to the lowland areas, agrarian arrangements did not foster “class polarisation”, but on the contrary secured the continuity of an institutionally independent peasantry