ABSTRACT Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) belongs to Lamiacea family. It is well known as a common medicinal and aromatic plant widely used in food as well as herbal medicine products. It has wide applications in food flavouring, cosmetics and perfumery by the use of its essential oil. In Kenya, it is increasingly becoming important mostly being grown by export farms. Its leaf productivity is however often limited by nitrogen and phosphorus, which are deficient in many Kenyan soils. The problem i...
ABSTRACT Blackberry (Rubus L. sub-genus Rubus Watson) fruits grow wild in Kenya; though in some parts of the world they have been adopted and are cultivated commercially. However, limited information is available regarding, growth characteristics, fruit yield and quality of wild species growing in Kenya under conventional production. The objective of the study was to contribute towards increased blackberry cultivation, by evaluating the performance of wild blackberry species under conventiona...
ABSTRACT French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is among the leading export vegetables in Kenya, intensively grown by small scale farmers. Despite the economic importance of the crop, many growers are still not able to achieve maximum yield and quality due to unfavourable weather and heavy infestation by insect pests as the crop is predominantly grown in open fields. Coloured net technology is an emerging technology, which introduces additional benefits on top of the various protective functions...
ABSTRACT The research tested the potential of Tagetes patula, Lantana camara, Tephrosia vogelii and Azadirachta indica to manage root knot nematodes and weeds on greenhouse grown Asclepias tuberosa. Field trials were conducted at James Finlay’s (K) Flowers-Kericho for two seasons under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was laid in Complete Randomised Block Design replicated three times. Chopped plant materials were applied singly as soil amendment or in combination with nemacur. T....
ABSTRACT Calla lily (Zantedeschia sp.) is cultivated as a cut flower, pot plant or garden ornamental throughout the world and contributes to horticultural revenue for many countries including America, Holland, New Zealand and Kenya. However, bacterial soft rot caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum affects the commercial viability of this crop in Kenya. The disease infects calla lily at all stages of growth resulting in death of plants and decay of tubers. Bactericidal formul...
ABSTRACT Rose cut flower production contributes significantly to Kenya’s economy and its quality is therefore paramount for sustainability on the export market. Despite the tremendous contribution, profitable production of cut rose flower is limited by unsuitable growth conditions which lead to low quality produce. A study was set up at Egerton University to investigate sustainable ways to improve growth and quality of rose cultivars through integration of greenhouse growth conditions and c...
ABSTRACT The nature and magnitude of the genotype × environment interactions is important to identify superior and stable genotypes under target environments. This will assist to maximize specific adaptation and to speed up the distribution of new cultivars to growers. Eleven prerelease flue cured tobacco hybrid lines were evaluated for yield and quality in four different tobacco growing regions thus, Kutsaga and Rusape representing the slow growing areas, Trelawney representing the medium...
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 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 Tea provides income and employment to rural populations in many countries. Tea, grown in east and west of the Rift Valley, is the leading export commodity crop in Kenya. Variable responses among genotypes to different environments and fertilizer influence growth, productivity, leaf nutrients, and quality. However, husbandry practices are uniform in all tea growing regions. These recommendations may not be optimum universally. Genotypes planted and management practices may therefore n...
Abstract: Agriculture remains the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, because it does not only contribute to the largest share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is the largest employer of labour and a key contributor to wealth creation and poverty alleviation, as large percentage of the population derive their income from agriculture and related activities . Agricultural sector is the backbone of many economies in Africa, but most African countries are yet to devote their efforts to the diss...
ABSTRACT The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of cucurbits, tree fruits and related crops in most continents of the world, including Africa. To manage the pest, most farmers in sub-Saharan Africa rely on synthetic chemicals which have detrimental effects to the environment and the habitat. Excessive use of chemicals may also lead to development of pest resistance and Z. cucurbitae has reportedly shown the most increased resistance to the used insecticides. For ...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen deficiency is a major limiting factor for maize production in western Kenya, therefore, nitrogen fertilizer inputs are required to increase yields in the region. However, most resource poor farmers use low rates of inorganic fertilizers leading to low maize yields. While high rates of inorganic fertilizer application may increase yields, they are however associated with low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the environment. Cattle manur...
ABSTRACT Thirty local tobacco landraces collected from non-traditional tobacco belt of Zimbabwe, such as Binga, Mutoko and Masvingo were screened for resistance against Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), Potato Virus Y (PVY) and rootknot nematodes (RKN). The thrust of the study was to assess the level of resistance of the landraces to these major diseases of economic importance in tobacco. A standard flue cured tobacco (FCT) variety KE1, which is susceptible to all tobacco diseases was used as a pos...
ABSTRACT Agricultural pesticides use is rising in crop protection against plant invaders of which fungi are chief in reducing both yield quantity and quality. Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina and Alternaria alternata are polyphagous fungi of economic importance with severe yield and quality losses worldwide. Environmental concerns on pesticide use and their resistance now on a worldwide scale. Extensive studies of plant secondary metabolites have not exhausted the...