Abstract: Potato is one of most important food crops in the world in general and Ethiopia in particular. However, low productivity of potato is one of the major constraints in potato production in Ethiopia. Encouraging adoption and wider diffusion of potato technologies are important policy measure to address the problem. However, adoption and intensity of adoption of improved potato varieties are constrained by many factors. Hence, in this study an effort was made to evaluate adoption decis...
Abstract: Evaluation of genotypes for the existence of variations and generation of genetic information is the key step in plant breeding to develop varieties for the targeted area of production. Twenty desi chickpea genotypes were tested in randomized complete block design with three replications. The objectives of the study were to estimate the extent of genotypic and phenotypic variability, estimate the genotypic and phenotypic associations among characters and to estimate the direct and ...
Abstract: Bread wheat is one of the most important cereal crop produced in almost all agro-ecologies of Ethiopia. Assessment of genetic variability in crop species is one of the major activities of plant breeding which helps to design breeding methods of genotypes for further evaluation to meet the diversified goals.Therefore the field experiment was conducted to estimategenetic variability, association of traits, determining their direct and indirect effecton grain yield and to identify pri...
Abstract: Sugarcane production affected by numerous factors, which subsequently reduce cane and sugar yield. Among those constraints, planting geometry is the most important one. To solve the problem, regarding intra-row setts spacing, research findings should be taken. However, research outputs concerning this aspect are not available at Kessem Sugar Estate. Therefore, effects of intra-row setts spacing on selected traits were carried out at this Estate with the objective of determining the...
The experiment was conducted at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching and Research farm, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria from April to August, 2019 on the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L). The research was done in a randomized complete block design with four treatments and replicated four times. The treatments include control (no application), NPK 15:15:15, spent mushroom ...
ABSTRACT Nsukka yellow pepper genotypes were evaluated in 2009 and 2010 planting seasons to determine the pattern of genetic variability in its population. The initial collection comprising eighteen genotypes were assembled from the local farmers and evaluated in 2009 planting season. Forty nine promising genotypes were selected on individual plant basis and reevaluated in 2010 planting season. The results of the performance of the genotypes in both years showed that there was considerable ...
ABSTRACT Four field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka to: (i) improve the photoperiodic response, especially in local (late) maturing varieties of Okra; (ii) estimate heterosis and heritability for improved yield and productivity; (iii) determine combining ability and gene effects of 13 genotypes of okra; (iv) estimate gene effects of quantitative traits; (v) determine inheritance pattern of qualitativ...
ABSTRACT Low soil nitrogen (N) is one of the most important constraints to maize production in subSaharan Africa (SSA) in general and in particular the Bimodal Humid Forest Zone (BHFZ) of Cameroon. The development and adoption of maize varieties tolerant to low N soils could reduce the need for nitrogen inputs and significantly contribute to sustainable maize production. The objectives of this research were to: i) identify maize production constraints and farmers preferred maize characteris...
ABSTRACT Coffee ranks second after petroleum in international trade. In Kenya, it supports over 600,000 households, contributes up to12% of export revenue and employs 30% of the total workforce in Agriculture. Arabica (Coffea arabica L.) and Robusta (Coffea canephora Pierre) are the two species under commercial cultivation. Arabica coffee has low genetic diversity and susceptible to Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) while Robusta Coffee has considerable diversity and tole...
ABSTRACT Soybean production in Kenya is estimated at 9,061MT. This is low compared to the annual demand of 100,000MT. This large deficit is met through importation which puts a strain to the economy’s foreign exchange. Soybean has the highest protein content (40-42%) among the food crops with oil content of18-22% comprised of 85% unsaturated fatty acids. These attributes make it an inexpensive source of proteins and desirable human diet. Released soybean varieties in Kenya have been evaluat...
ABSTRACT In Kenya, the counties of Elgeyo-Marakwet, Uasin-Gishu and Baringo, where maize, wheat and barley are normally grown, can be used to produce a second crop during the off-season (October-February) before the next cropping season or as a rotation crop during the main season (April-August). Introduction of drought tolerant leguminous crops such as chickpea in these counties is ideal in order to provide an alternative source of income to farmers. However Ascochyta blight (AB) disease whi...
ABSTRACT Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) is the major constraint in Cassava (Manihot esculenta) production in Eastern Africa including Tanzania. Genetic linkage map is a prerequisite for QTL analysis; marker assisted breeding and map-based gene cloning. It is also a prerequisite for the study of inheritance of qualitative and quantitative traits and the molecular information can be applied in marker-assisted selection (MAS).Objectives of this study were to (I) determine heterozygosity of...
ABSTRACT The existence of genetic diversity in germplasm collections is crucial for cultivar development. The objectives of this study were to determine genetic diversity of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.) landraces from Kenya using genetic markers and characterize bambara groundnut landraces from Kenya using morphological markers. Genetic and morphological relationships among bambara groundnuts accessions, were evaluated using morphological and microsatellite markers. Twelv...
ABSTRACT Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L). Moench] is important for production of fodder and ethanol worldwide. Objectives of this study were to determine: (i) the most suitable harvesting stage for sweet sorghum for which ethanol production is a maximum, (ii) the combining abilities for ethanol related traits and (iii) the best sweet sorghum hybrids for production of industrial alcohol. Experiments were conducted in Nakuru (0° 23′S, 35° 35′E), Homa Bay (0.35o 13′07′′S, 34o 07�...
ABSTRACT Morphological and genetic diversity are important components for cultivar development and are a pre-requisite to cultivar improvement. The probability of producing unique genotypes increases in proportion to the number of genes for which parents differ (genetic distance). The objectives of this study were to determine the morphological and genetic diversity among native blackberry (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus Watson) accessions in selected counties in Kenya and their relationship with P...