ABSTRACT Ephestia cautella is one of the most important stored product insect pests found in granaries. Its activities tend to reduce germination and nutritive capacity of the infested seed and grains. The increasing rate of pest resistance, high cost and health risk in the use of insecticides to control insect pest have become issue of public concern. Therefore the use of botanical has been found to be very effective against stored product insect pests. Several plant products (leaves, oil, a...
ABSTRACT A study to assess the effect of Mucuna pruriens mulch on the growth and yield of maize was conducted at the Crop Science Department, University of Ghana, Legon from October 1994 to June 1998. Treatments comprised maize plants in Mucuna pruriens mulch plots and no-mulch plots superimposed with nitrogen rates of 0, 50, 100 and 200kg/ha arranged in a split plot design, with three replications. Maize plants in the mulch plots grew faster and yielded more than maize plants in plots withou...
ABSTRACT A research was conducted from June 2008 to May 2009 with the main objectives to identify suitable hot pepper lines to be used in breeding for superior fruit yield and yield associated components based on their combining abilities, determine heterosis in the Fi generation, estimate heritability of various traits and correlation between yield and its associated characters. Eight (8) hot pepper lines were analysed in a line x tester fashion comprising six (6) lines and two (2) testers. ...
ABSTRACT The knowledge and perception of farmers in the Akatsi North District of Volta region on harvest and postharvest losses in rice (Oryza sativa L.) during harvesting, in-field stacking, threshing and cleaning were assessed using semi-structured questionnaires. Data were collected on 40 farmers who were selected through a multi-stage, purposive, and simple random sampling methods from September 4 to November 23, 2018. Majority (75%) of farmers interviewed had no formal education on pos...
ABSTRACT Soya bean is an important legume used in fortifying cereal-based complementary foods for children. Despite its high protein content, it also contains anti-nutrients which makes the proteins unavailable. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge of consumers on anti-nutritional factors and their perception of how it could be processed out of soya bean as well as the efficacy of heat, sprouting and acid treatment in the removal of protease inhibitors in soya bean. The study w...
ABSTRACT The biological activity of neem oil and neemazal against the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) was assessed in maize grain in the laboratory. The bioassays carried out were toxicity of the products against adults and immature stages, effect of the products on progeny production, damage assessment, repellent action and persistency of the products in grain and their effect on seed viability. Neemazal was highly toxic to P. truncatus than neem oil. The highest dosage of ...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted in three phases. Phase one was to assess the postharvest management practices along the tomato value chain in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana. Semi–structured questionnaires were administered randomly to fifty tomato farmers and fifty tomato traders. The value chain of tomatoes as observed in this study, started from pre-harvesting stages and ended with the consumer. Harvesting was done manually and fruits were harvested by majority of farmers when fully ri...
Abstract The potentials of aqueous seed extract and seed oil of the coral plant, Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) were evaluated as a biopesticide compared with aqueous seed extract of neem (Azadirachta. indica A. Juss) and cymethoate, (a commercially used synthetic insecticide) in the control of insect pests complex of aubergine (black beauty), Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) both in the laboratoiy and in the field. Three major insect pests of aubergine namely, Urentius hystericellus Ri...
ABSTRACT Vegetable production in southern Ghana suffers grave setbacks from purple nutsedge infestation. Several attempts to identify effective and environmentally friendly management methods using the traditional weed research methods have so far not been successful. Hence, this study aimed at designing efficient and environmentally sound management methods by developing an ecological model of the population dynamics of purple nutsedge in vegetable fields. The study comprised three major pha...
ABSTRACT Soya bean is an important legume used in fortifying cereal-based complementary foods for children. Despite its high protein content, it also contains anti-nutrients which makes the proteins unavailable. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge of consumers on anti-nutritional factors and their perception of how it could be processed out of soya bean as well as the efficacy of heat, sprouting and acid treatment in the removal of protease inhibitors in soya bean. The study wa...
ABSTRACT Small-scale farmers in the Greater Accra region of Ghana grow vegetable crops including tomato, cabbage, pepper, okra and garden eggs and apply many types of pesticides to control pests and diseases that attack these crops. This study was conducted in the Accra Metropolitan District, Adenta Municipal District, Ashaiman Municipal District, Dangme West District, Ga South Municipal District and Ga West Municipal District. The purpose of the study was to estimate the postharvest losses i...
ABSTRACT The root knot nematode species (Meloidogyne incognita) is a devastating pest in the tropical and sub-tropical regions, and is known to infect a wide variety of crops, leading to economic damage to these crops. The objective of this laboratory experiment was to investigate egg hatch of M. incognita exposed to aqueous root and leaf extracts of the African marigold (Tagetes erecta), Moringa (Moringa oleifera), and (Gboma) Solanum marcrocarpon plants at five (5) ..concentrations (0%, 10%...
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 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 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...