ABSTRACT by Conrad K. Bonsi Several sweet potato cultivars and advanced breeding lines were screened in both the greenhouse and a heavily nematode infested field for resistance to root-knot nematode species (Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogvne javanica). Two greenhouse methods, "The Bed Method" and "The Improved Method" were used for indoor investigations. A heavily nematode infested field was used for outdoor investigations. The infestation in the field had been built up over a period of ...
Abstract Quantitative survey was carried out in five purposely selected districts in the Accra Plains of Ghana using focused group discussions and individual interviews to evaluate and document the existing farming practices, opportunities and constraints among smallholder farmers with particular interest on the probable animal feed resources and cyclical gaps with respect to sheep and goat production in study 1. Also the effect of supplementary feed packages based on Samanea saman, Acacia au...
ABSTRACTCrop production in peasant cropping systems in the semi-arid areas of West Africa is generally constrained by low and uncertain rainfall, poor soil fertility and lack of credit facilities to purchase inputs such as fertilizers and improved varieties. In this study, two field experiments (September to November 1996 and March to June 1997) were conducted on an Ultisol (Bekwai series) at Kwadaso, Kumasi in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. An assessment was made of production pote...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out to understand the genetic basis for yield under drought environments, and to map quantitative trait loci associated with yield and yield related components under drought stress in sweetpotato. The sweetpotato BxT mapping population, generated from a cross between sweetpotato varieties Beauregard and Tanzania was used for this study. Genotypes were evaluated in irrigated and drought environments to evaluate the effect of drought on yield and yield related p...
ABSTRACT Introduction of cocoa-agroforest in the Gwira Banso forest concession necessitates the following research questions: what evidence is there on the viability (profitability) of the proposed cocoa-agroforest practice? What are the short-tenn and long-term cash flow implications and how suitable are they to the farmers who are dependent on the forestland for their livelihood? How can farmers’ knowledge on industrial use of timber trees, prices of timber trees, production and sale of t...
ABSTRACT The number of people suffering from chronic undernourishment in sub-Saharan Africa has increased. The potential of the cowpea to be the crop of the future to address food and nutrition insecurity is evident in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was carried out to evaluate cowpea accessions for early maturity and drought tolerant genotypes with potential for higher yields for smallholder farmers in South Sudan. One hundred and six cowpea accessions were sourced from different backgrounds....
ABSTRACT A study was conducted into the traditional method of storing maize in Ghana to determine the best form of storing maize to minimise losses in storage and to evaluate the effectiveness of using insecticides in crib storage. Two separate experiments were conducted, one with maize variety Abrotia and the other with maize variety La Posta. In each experiment, a split-plot design was used with the main plot factor being insecticide application and the subplot factor being husking. Actell...
ABSTRACT Maize farmers accrue low yields due to poor weather, lack of certified seeds and farm inputs. The crop cutting method used by MoFA in yield estimation is tedious, labour intensive and most information are not adequately captured for decision making and policy. This study explores an additional method of scaling farmer-level yield to Tolon District level yield. The DSSAT-CERES maize model was used to simulate farmer-level yields where weather, soil and crop management data from select...
ABSTRACT A total of 64 fresh bacons of average weight 1.3kg and 64 fresh hams of average weight 4.6kg were used in the project. The bacons were randomly divided into 2 groups of 32. Sixteen 32 bacons were divided equally and dry cured under room temperature (DCRT) for 2,4,5 and 6 days respectively. There were 4 replicates in each treatment. The rest of the 16 bacons which were also dry cured for 2,4,5 and 6 days but under cold temperature (DCCT), served as control. The second group of 32 bac...
ABSTRACT The use of inorganic fertilizers in crop production in Sub Saharan Africa is very low due to exorbitant cost. Coincidentally nitrogen which is a limiting nutrient in sub Saharan African soils is locked up in organic waste with the waste breeding flies and having become an environmental nuisance in most towns in the sub region. Composting these organic wastes to be used as organic amendment has been proposed as one of the ways of improving on the low fertility status in soils and rid...
ABSTRACT Cocoa production, one of the most important economic activities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, has for sometime now been bedevilled with several problems. The most important of these is the black pod disease caused by the Phytophthora megakarya strain of fungus, which is destroying pods in large quantities and thus causing substantial financial loss to cocoa farmers. Research has made available a tried and tested control technology whose adoption in the Ashanti Region is ve...
ABSTRACT Rainfall variability and early season drought are among the most severe consequences of climate change in the Sahelian zone of Mali in West Africa that affect the production of key staple crops such as Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Therefore, a three-step research was conducted with trials in the laboratory, pots and field to improve seed germination and reduce crop establishment failure. The experiments were set up to evaluate the effects of heat and drought stress, priming...
ABSTRACT This study examined youth participation and productivity in cocoa farming in the Western North Cocoa Region of Ghana using primary data from 958 respondents through the field assistance of Solidaridad West Africa. Systematic and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample 588 youth (35years) from Sefwi Bekwai, Boako, Akontombra, Bodi and Asempaneye. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the distribution in the roles played by the youth in cocoa farming in the study are...
ABSTRACT Public and private extension providers have been assisting farmers in Liberia but there has been no study done on services they deliver to cassava farmers. The purpose of the study therefore was to investigate the delivery system of public and private extension services on cassava farmers. The study used quantitative survey in which 318 proportionately randomly sampled cassava farmers in the Sanniquellie and Saclepea Mahn Districts were interviewed using an interview schedule.. The s...
ABSTRACT Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) is a major pest of maize and sorghum in East Africa and indigenous natural enemies have been unable to maintain the pest population at a level acceptable to farmers. In Kenya, a classical biological control programme was initiated in an attempt to increase natural suppression of Chilo partellus and other stemborers. To do this, a natural enemy of Chilo parfellus, Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), has been introduced into Kenya from Pakista...