ABSTRACT Loss assessment helps to identify constraints affecting the production and therefore the productivity of food crops. Information on loss assessment will thus assist in possible interventions needed to improve productivity. Quantitative losses associated with the production of rice (var. Jasmine 85) in the Kassena Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, one of the major rice producing areas in Ghana has not been adequately documented. A semi structured questionnaire was used t...
ABSTRACT Commercial feed availability is essential in areas where poultry (chicken) farmers practice intensive production. A study was thus undertaken in the Sekyere West District (SWD) of Ashanti Region to determine the availability of commercial feed as a factor in chicken production. The study also assessed patronage of Agricare feed in Mampong, SWD, covering a period of 3 years (2004-2006). A census survey, involving 62 active chicken farmers and the feed supply agent in the district, was...
ABSTRACT The biology and population dynamics of the chub mackerel Scomber colias (Gmelin 1789), one of four small pelagic fish of high economic and nutritional value in Ghana waters, were studied from February 2016 to July 2017 to obtain information for management of its fishery. Total length of the fish in the artisanal landings ranged between 13.7 cm and 40.7 cm with two modal length classes. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters estimated using the ELEFAN method were L∞ = 42.5 cm TL and ...
ABSTRACT The need to improve upon the performance of the extension worker and hence agriculturalproductivity is evidenced b y the number 0 fn ational agricultural extension programmes held tried since Ghana gained independence in 1957, One of the drawbacks of these programmes is that the long-term desired outcome of improving agricultural productivity has never been met Recent studies have identified incompetence of staff as a major cause of the poor performance of organizations, This study w...
ABSTRACT Eggplant is an important fruit with numerous health benefits, but it has a relatively short postharvest life. Edible coating in combination with low temperature storage can improve quality and extend shelf life but they are normally imported and are costly. This work, therefore, sought to study the effect of edible coatings prepared from inexpensive, locally available materials on the quality of eggplant fruits during storage. Fruits were coated with beeswax, Aloe vera or cassava sta...
ABSTRACT Drought is the major abiotic factor limiting crop production worldwide. Sorghum is one of the most drought tolerant grain crops that have the ability of addressing food insecurity in semi-arid areas. However, it is exposed recurrently to severe forms of drought and therefore, requires improvement to cope with moisture stress. The present investigation was undertaken to improve local sorghum varieties for drought tolerance in Burkina Faso. A participatory Rural Appraisal was cond...
Hibiscus sabdariffa is a non-timber-forest-plant (NTFP) that has the potential of producing fibers good in paper-making. Germination and growth potentials of H. sabdariffa under farmland, fallowland, plantation and forest ecosystems were studied. Seeds of H. sabdariffa were sown to assess germination percentage, germination rate, germination time and velocity coefficient on established plots of each ecosystem. Seedlings were randomly selected to measure growth and yield parameters of hei...
ABSTRACT Exponential growth in human population has led to the exploitation of natural resources e.g. organic matter reserves for crop production. Various interventions such as manuring, fertilization, green manuring etc. have been proposed to enhance continuous crop production. However, the sustainability of these methods are unknown. Soil productivity depends largely on organic carbon stocks (SOC). The labile organic matter fraction or pool is associated with nutrient dynamics and responds ...
ABSTRACT Soil nutrient depletion in lowland rice growing ecologies in Northern Ghana is one of the major causes of low rice yields. Most nutrients applied to enhance the fertility of soil are lost through leaching due to the low CEC of the soils caused mainly by low organic matter and low colloidal clay content of the soils. The application of biochar has been found to improve soil fertility through its enhanced nutrient retention leading to increased nutrient uptake and consequently in...
The study investigated stem distributions and height-diameter relationships of two Irvingiaceae species in Oban Forest, Cross River State, Nigeria with a view to suggesting appropriate management strategies for their conservation in the area. Using systematic sampling technique, six 2km-transect was cut in each of the primary and secondary forests in the area. Four 50m×50m plots were laid alternately along each transect. Thus, twenty-four plots were used in each of the two forest types, maki...
The paper examines the adoption of agoforestry practices as a land use option in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State. Data were generated from primary and secondary sources. The primary data were obtained from structured questionnaire and direct interview of farmers in the area, using purposive simple random sampling technique. Fifteen farmers were randomly sampled from each of the ten cells of Atisbo Farmers Association of Nigeria with 440 members. Data generated were analyzed...
ABSTRACTThe Assin Northand Southdistrictsare wellendowedwithforests and wildliferesources. However,conflicts among the numerous stakeholders over theseresourcesareleadingto the unsustainablemanagementofthese resources. It hasbeenestablishedthat several factors accountfor the unsustainable managementofthe forests and wildliferesources. Thoughseveral approaches have been applied by the resource managersto promote sustainable resourcemanagement,the conflictamongthe numerous.stakeholdersover...
Abstract A comparative study was conducted on some performance characteristics with 225 each of Cobb 500 and Ross 308 broiler chickens fed three rations in which PKOR replaced wheat bran at 0% (control), 10% and 20% levels. There were 6 treatments (of 75 birds each) and 3 replicates (of 25 birds each), in a completely randomized designed 2x3 factorial experiment. The trial used 3-week old broiler chicks over a 5 week period. The effects of genotype, ratio...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the influence of egg size and day length on reproductive and growth performance, egg characteristics and blood profile of indigenous guinea fowls in Ghana. The study was carried out for a period of ten (10) months. Two hundred and forty day-old keets hatched from three different egg size groups (treatments): small (23-39g); medium (40-42g) and large (43-49g) were used in the experiment. The birds were subjected to artificial light between 6 to...
ABSTRACT The ribbonfish, Trichiurus lepturus and golden African snapper, Lutjanus fulgens are actively and locally exploited by commercial fishers along the coast of Ghana. To bridge the knowledge gap on these species, size composition, growth and mortality as well as aspects of reproduction were assessed. Samples were collected from major fish landing sites along the coast of Ghana from September 2018 to August 2019. ...