Abstract Leafspot disease is a major yield limiting factor in groundnut growing areas in Northern Ghana. This study was to monitor the progression of the disease in ten selected groundnut genotypes. Six were derived from a cross between BC3F6 interspecific introgression lines (43-09-03-02 or 60-02-03-02) and Spanish groundnut genotypes (Schubert and TS32-1) while the remaining four are released groundnut varieties in Ghana. Nkatiesari and Chinese served as the resistant and susceptible checks...
Abstract Nitrogen is very essential for every crop production due to its function in plant growth and development. It is an essential component of DNA and proteins which are the building blocks of life. Notwithstanding its vast importance, nitrogen is worldwide considered as one of the most limiting factors of production. The need to meet the huge nitrogen requirement has necessitated the use of synthetic fertilizer which continued application affects soil health, environment and agricultural...
Abstract The cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) in northern Ghana is synonymous with fertilizer application, but efficient nutrient uptake and utilization are major factors that influence yield parameters and grain yield. The impact of neem cake (NC) and its oil as soil amendments on nutrient uptake and efficiency of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), as well as growth, yield components and yield of maize, was investigated. The trial was conducted at two locations, Tamale Techni...
Abstract The study was set to investigate the effects of climate change adaptation strategies on farm household welfare in northern region. Drawing its roots from the sustainable climate change adaptation strategies, it first identified climate shocks faced by farmers in northern region, examine factors that influence farmer choice of climate adaptation strategies employed by farmers in Northern Ghana, examine the Effects of climate change information on adoption intensity, as well as determi...
Abstract The Department of Crop Science in the University for Development studies has produced mutant soybean genotypes with improved agronomic traits. A Series of evaluations of these mutant genotypes have been carried out at different agroecological zones in Ghana and high-yielding mutants such as 150 Gy, 200 Gy, 250 Gy, and 300 Gy have been identified. The present study used the above genotypes as planting material for the studies in the dry season and rainy seasons of the year 2020 to eva...
Abstract Food insecurity persists in emerging countries as a result of low agricultural production and rising food prices. Despite the significant impact of credit on agricultural output, most smallholder farmers, particularly in rural regions, lack access to credit. Social networks have a significant impact on farmer behavior and, could influence their credit decisions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social networks on smallholder access to institutional input cre...
Artisanal small-scale mining activities are on the rise with several concerns. Whiles these are issues of concern, farmers in the mining communities are providing labourservices to ASM for wages. This study investigated the determinants of farmers’decision to provide labour services to ASM. It also assessed the welfare effects of providing labour services to ASM operations. Multi-stage sampling technique wasemployed to collect cross-sectional data from 200 farm households in two districts i...
The activity was proposed with the objective of determining the combined application rate of inorganic NPSB and N fertilizer that maximizes the yield and yield components of sweet potato. Sweet Potato variety Naspot-13, was used for the experiment. The experiment was arranged in factorial combination of four level of NPSB (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1) with four level of N2 (0, 23, 46 and 69 kg ha-1) in RCBD with 3 replications. The analysis of variance showed that the combination of 100 kg ha-...
Abstract: Livestock is a key asset and a primary livelihood resource for rural households in most parts of the world and accounts for nearly 95 per cent of family income in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) in Kenya. Despite high economic importance of livestock, inadequate nutrition results to low livestock productivity in Kenya. Ruminant feeding in the ASALs is mainly based on the exploitation of range feed resources. Grazing ruminants forage on different plant species with varying leve...
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate effect of transportation on welfare of indigenous chicken. A sample of 8 hens were randomly selected from the target population. Each treatment had an equal number of mature indigenous chicken hens weighing between 1.25 and 2.4 kg. The first batch of 4 birds were tied together and loaded on to an open vehicle roof top. The second batch of 4 birds was loaded into traditional transport cages and the cage loaded on top of the transport vehicle....
Abstract: There has been an increased human population in arid and semi-arid areas. However, these areas are characterized by harsh climatic conditions hence low agricultural productivity, environmental degradation and over exploitation of natural resources. There's need to understand the best agronomic crop requirements for high value trees and shrubs like Moringa oleifera (Lamark) through climate smart agriculture. Limited studies on Moringa oleifera provenance trials, use of micro-catchme...
Abstract: The typical dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, is the essential food legume for direct human consumption. They play a significant role in food security and nutrition. Despite their nutritional importance, its production growth rates have declined in Kenya due to diseases, insect pests, plant nutritional deficiencies, and drought. Therefore, this study's main objective was to determine whether there are differences in bean varieties' tolerance to whitefly transmitted viral diseases. The ...
Abstract: Dairy farming complements both food and cash crop farming in Kenya. Due to limited land sizes, smallholder dairy farming is popular and dominates the dairy sector in terms of milk production. Low milk production is a major constraint in Tigania East SubCounty despite the fact that the surrounding Sub-Counties produce high amounts of milk. A survey was carried out in Tigania East Sub-County involving 156 smallholder farmers randomly selected across three agro-ecological zones (AEZ1,...
Abstract: Water is an essential natural resource, vital for any development to take place. However, not more than one percent of the water is freely available for human needs including agricultural production in the entire world. Arid and semi-arid lands globally are facing water scarcity challenges. Rain- fed agricultural system is the major farming method in these areas, but this has been challenged greatly by aridity and climatic uncertainty. Kitui County is an ASAL where farmers are expe...
Abstract: Agroforestry presents a promising option to sustainable agricultural productivity by providing a buffer to climate variability through permanent tree cover and varied ecological niches. Thus, agroforestry can be used as a strategy to adapt to climate change and variability challenges for smallholder farmers. Success of this strategy in adapting to climate change calls for active participation of men and women in agroforestry technologies. This study aimed to establish roles women p...