ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to assess the potential for including mucuna meal as a partial replacement for locally available fish meal in diets for Oreochromis niloticus (L.). Seven groups o± fish were fed prescribe diets at 4% body weight once a day for 56 days. The water temperature and p remained essentially the same during the experiment at 29°C and 6.8 respectively. Fish meal was the only source of supplemental protein in the control rati(i.e diet 1). Diets 2, 3 and 4 had part ...
TABLE. CF COiTENTS Pages Title page Dedication Certification Acknowledgement Table of Contents List of Symbols and Abbreviations List of Tables and Plates Abstract CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background of Study 1,2 Statement of Problem 1.3 Objectives of Study 1.4 JustIfication CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Ecology and Value of Vegetation C 2.2 The Role oF Inorganic Fertiliser and poultry manure on plant yield 2.3 Tillage, Organic Matter and Crop Residues Importance in Fer...
ABSTRACT Access to high quality certified soybeans seeds by most small scale commercial farmers is a major constraint and this result in most farmers to retain their seed obtained from the previous harvests. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of retention period on field emergence, vigor and genetic purity of soybean seeds under the smallholder farmers in semi arid regions of Zimbabwe. A survey was first conducted to assess the agronomic and storage practices done by smallholder...
ABSTRACT Vegetable amaranths are highly valued for being rich in proteins and micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin A. In spite of the crop’s exceptional nutritional qualities, very little effort has been put in to improve the foliage yield potential in Kenya. Reports on morphological phenotypic variation analysis in Amaranthus are rare and detailed agronomic recommendations for leaf and seed yields and quality enhancement are scanty. Research on the extent of th...
ABSTRACT Human-related activities are known to have deleterious effects on the water quality of aquatic ecosystems globally. However, there is limited information on the impact of similar perturbations in tropical regions, especially the River Chania in Kiambu County, Kenya, which is an important source of water for humans and animals and also provides habitat for a variety of flora and fauna along its length. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal variations of sele...
ABSTRACT African horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) is an indigenous crop belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The crop has been neglected despite its high potential. Therefore, to conserve the biodiversity of this crop, there is need to promote its domestication and production. However, this can only be realized if its morphology, agronomic and nutritional value is understood. The objective of this study was to determine the agro-morphological performance and nutritional composition of hor...
ABSTRACT Aphids are the major pests of vegetables leading to a significant yield loss in African indigenous vegetables including amaranth and nightshades. Information on the types of aphids that infest these vegetables and their genetic diversity in Kenya and Tanzania is scanty. This is an important diagnostic component in developing management strategies such as integrated pest management and early detection and control of invasive species. This study used a fragment of the mitochondrial cyt...
TABLF OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE DECLARATION CERTIFICATION DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF PLATES CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS COLLECTION OF SPECIMEN C COLLECTION OF BLOOD -i HAEMATOCRIT DETERMINATION HEMOGLOBIN DETERNINATION RED BLOOD CELL COUNT WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT DATA ANALYSIS CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS REFEREN...
ABSTRACT African horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) is an indigenous crop belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The crop has been neglected despite its high potential. Therefore, to conserve the biodiversity of this crop, there is need to promote its domestication and production. However, this can only be realized if its morphology, agronomic and nutritional value is understood. The objective of this study was to determine the agro-morphological performance and nutritional composition of hor...
ABSTRACT Forests are believed to play critical ecological, social, cultural, and economic role to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and even all over the world. Forestry Provisioning Ecosystem Services (FPES) contribute significantly to smallholder farmers‘ livelihoods though this contribution is sometimes not accounted for. Understanding the role played by FPES to the livelihood of smallscale farmers is crucial for sustainable management of the forest resources. This study th...
ABSTRACT This experiment was conducted to determine the best time to introduce finisher diets in the humid tropics. Four treatments (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th week) were tried in this study that lasted for 9 weeks. A total of one hundred and eighty birds were used for the experiment. The birds were randomnly assigned into 4 treatments that were replicated three times with 15 birds in each replicate. The following were measured, growth performance, carcass quality and cost benefit analysis. On gr...
ABSTRACT Declining size of the farm holdings in most high agricultural potential areas as a result of continuous land fragmentation is currently a major policy concern in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of land fragmentation and agro-ecological zones (AEZs) on food security and farm efficiency in Kenya. The study used data collected from 384 farm-households that were randomly selected from three AEZs in the Embu County, using a multistage stratified sampling techni...
ABSTRACT Mangroves occupy only 0.4% of forested areas globally but are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. They account for about 11% of the total input of terrestrial carbon into the oceans. The above ground carbon stock in mangroves in some parts of the World has been estimated to be as high as 8 kg C m-2; with a similar amount reported for below ground components. Although a lot of research has been done on estimates of mangrove biomass in Kenya, there is no information on bioma...
ABSTRACT In the early 1990’s, the Kenyan government implemented reforms in the agricultural sector that affected the volatility of agricultural product prices. However, there is lack of empirical evidence on the effects of these reforms on the level and volatility of Irish potato prices. This study evaluates the effects of market reform policies involving the decontrol of input and output prices on the evolution and volatility of Irish potato prices in Nyandarua district. The purpose of thi...
x ABSTRACT The study is primarily an assessment of groundwater quality in the Yatta Plateau of Kitui County. The study focused on the spatial temporal distribution of key chemical parameters namely pH, TDS, Colour, Total hardness, Turbidity, Conductivity, Total alkalinity, Fluoride and Iron. Yatta Plateau is a volcanic formation which is characteristically flat at the top thus limiting overland flow and depression storage necessary for other methods of water supply to the community resident o...