The study investigates the performance and adaptability of Nellore sires across different regions, focusing on weight traits at 205 days (W205) and 550 days (W550). Analysis reveals significant variations in progeny weight means among evaluated sires, highlighting the importance of sire selection for herd improvement. Notably, certain sires consistently exhibit superior weight traits across diverse environmental conditions, indicating their potential for widespread applicability. Regression analysis further elucidates the adaptability of sires to specific herds, with some demonstrating adaptability to favorable conditions while others exhibit stability across various regions. Additionally, variance components and coefficients of determination serve as valuable tools for assessing stability and predictability in sire performance. Findings emphasize the critical role of informed sire selection in enhancing herd productivity and resilience. By leveraging these insights, livestock producers can optimize breeding strategies to achieve long-term profitability and sustainability in diverse environmental contexts
This study was initiated with the objective to evaluate the efficacy of tobacco leaf extract and potentiality of intercropping on TSSM in Eastern Ethiopia. The tomato, tomato + cabbage, tomato + common bean, tomato + onion, tomato + tobacco leaf extract and tomato + karate 5% EC were the treatments used for the trial. The overall result indicated that intercropping and tobacco leaf extract significantly reduced the population of these mite pests compared to sole tomato. The minimum population with infestation was recorded on karate (14.65, 0.79) followed by tomato – tobacco leaf extract (16.50, 0.92) and tomato onion (36.53, 1.74) from intercropping while control was the most in recording maximum population with maximum infestation (94.10, 2.88 respectively). The most population reduction with infestation was observed on tobacco leaf extract compared to untreated plot followed by tomato-onion intercropping. The highest yield (50.73tha-1) was recorded on the tomato-onion intercrops followed by karate 5%EC (43.96tha-1) and tobacco extract (43.65tha-1) while the lowest yield was recorded on head cabbage intercrops (30.10tha-1). The maximum net benefit was obtained from tomato-onion intercrops (688653.45 ETB) whereas the lowest net benefit was recorded on common bean (354176.60 ETB) intercrops. Therefore, tomato onion intercrops and tobacco leaf extract could be considered as the first options in boosting tomato production as an alternative to karate 5%EC and expected as common integrated management of TSSM on tomato.
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is an important high-value vegetable crop and acts as a natural medicine that alleviates the risk of a condition such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Plant parasitic nematodes are obligate biotrophic feeders that cause the most devastating phytoeconomic damage to tomato cultivation across the globe. Their infection may lead to a spectrum of disorders like stunting, necrosis, and wilting followed by lessening production. The present investigation embraces an extensive survey work (from October to December 2021) of three tomato crop production sites at Baruasagar in Jhansi and throws light on the occurrence, distribution, and genera diversity of parasitic nematodes in soil and root samples. The morphological identification of six genera Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Hoplolaimus, Helicotylenchus, Rotylenchulus,and Criconema was also undertaken in the study. The Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne genus) and lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus genus) were the most abundant PPNs in tomato crops. The study also highlighted the varying physicochemical properties of soil played a significant role in the abundance of nematode genera.
Studies on induced mutation were conducted and the results indicated that stable, but desirable soybean mutant genotypes with improved agronomic traits have been produced. A series of evaluations of these mutant genotypes had earlier on been carried out and high-yielding ones such as 150, 200, 250, and 300 Gy have been identified. In the present study, the above genotypes were planted together with an improved variety, Jenguma (standard check), to evaluate them for drought tolerance. Pot and field experiments were conducted in the dry and wet seasons of the year 2020, using factorial experiments in RCBD at Nyankpala in the Guinea Savannah agroecological zone of Ghana. In the pot experiment, 150, 120, 90, and 60 mL/day of water was applied, whilst two different planting date regimes were involved in the field study. Data on growth, yield parameters, as well as water use efficiency were taken for statistical analysis using Genstat statistical package edition 12. From the two experiments, the 150, 200, and 250 Gy mutants performed better (relative to 300 and Jenguma) in terms of grain yield, yield components, and growth parameters. These mutants also performed comparatively better in terms of reduced pod shattering. From the study, the mutants 150, 200, and 250 Gy were found to be tolerant to drought.
This study was carried out to find out the economic value of forests by woodwork enterprises for the reforestation of Softwood Pine trees in Eastern Ethiopia, namely Dire Dawa administrative council, Harari regional state, and Deder district of East Hararghe Zone. Forests in Eastern Ethiopia were the major sources of softwood pine logs. Nowadays, some commercially important pine species are over-exploited and in short supply. The study was undertaken to estimate Woodwork enterprises heads willingness to pay in Dire Dawa, Harari, and Deder districts for the recovery of deforested softwood pine trees in cubic meters (m3) using a contingent valuation method in Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice (DBDC) format. A seemingly Unrelated Bivariate Probit (SUBVP) model was used to examine aspects that affect woodwork enterprise heads willingness to pay (WTP) and to calculate the mean and aggregate WTP. To elicit their WTP for reforestation, 136 sample woodwork enterprise heads were randomly selected from 1076 enterprise heads and interviewed. Among these sample enterprise heads 87.5% of them were willing to pay for the reforestation while 12.5% were not. The mean WTP of the enterprise heads ranged from Birr 97.92 to Birr 174 per month per person or Birr 1,175.05 to Birr 2,088 per m3 per year per person and the aggregate WTP was Birr 1,264,343.04 per m3 per year and that could enable to reforest 88 hectares. The result also indicated that second bid value, family size, capital, perception, source connection, profit, substitution, liability, and distance were significantly related to WTP for reforestation. All these suggest softwood pine trees forest is of high value and therefore, there is an opportunity to mobilize woodwork enterprises to combat the softwood trees deforestation problem in the selected study areas.
Due to the small size, light weight, and impurities of millet, the existing seeders have poor quality when sowing millet, this study analyzed the working process of the pneumatic-mechanical combined seed metering device, established the equations of seed movement in the seed filling zone, seed cleaning up zone, seed carrying zone and seed dropping zone by dynamic theory. The theoretical factors affecting the sowing quality were clarified in order to improve the sowing effect of the millet hole sower. Vacuum degree, suction hole diameter, and hole wheel rotational speed served as the test factors, and qualifying rate, reseeding rate, and missing rate served as the evaluation indices in a three-factor, three-level orthogonal test. Better parameter combination is obtained through range and variance analysis: Vacuum degree is 2.0 kPa, suction hole diameter is 1.0 mm and rotating speed of hole wheel is 20 r/min. Verification tests were performed to ensure that the pass rate is 93.9%, reseeding rate is 3.1% and the missing rate is 3.0%, meeting the criteria for millet hole sowing. The results of this study can be promoted and applied in the research and development of millet hole sowing seeders.
Due to its natural and ecological qualities, rural tourism has drawn greater attention in recent decades. The development of rural tourism provides a variety of advantages that influence the environment and local resources. Therefore, this study looks at how tourism affects the sustainability of the Zrebar wetland, an urban-rural area in the west of Iran, and the wetland ecosystem. In terms of the objectives of the study and the data collection strategy utilized to achieve them, this study is descriptive analytical. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) created with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMoS) software and SPSS version 22 were both used for the statistical analysis. Furthermore, the probability level of (P: 0.000) is optimum to use and after that, the spatial analysis was carried out in ArcGIS using the Kriging interpolation method. The findings imply that, with a factor load of 1.13, tourism has significantly contributed to environmental degradation. In order to draw tourists to the area around Zrebar lake, there has been an increase in villa development, dispersion of the community, significant construction, and extension of farms and family gardens. A variety of both beneficial and negative effects is brought about by the growth of tourism in Marivan city, which is three kilometers from the lake. The Zrebar wetland is the most affected and the rural communities close to it suffer the most. Due to their remoteness, the villages furthest from the marsh experience less hardship. Therefore, despite its good benefits, particularly in economic growth, the increase of tourism in this area has put the ecological value and biodiversity of Zrebar wetland at threat. In the end, it can have repercussions for rural communities.
Agricultural production/activities in Nigeria depends on rainfall, which often occurs only at certain times of the year and thus makes agriculture very susceptible to crop failure, insect infestation which causes poor returns on agricultural produce for farmers . Adoption of climate change mitigating strategies is key to coping with variations in weather conditions and the achievement of increased agricultural production and food security in Nigeria. This study analyzed the use of climatic adaptive measures among smallholder farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 200 respondents in the study area. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and a regression model. The results showed that the most climatic adaptive methods adopted by the farmers were multiple cropping (90.0%) followed by mulching (62.50%), crop rotation (25.0%), and cover cropping (22.50%). According to the findings of the research, the farmers identified multiple cropping as the most suited climatic adaptive method to the farming system in the study area to avert the uncertainty associated with agriculture. The regression analysis showed that age, sex, marital status, household size, educational qualification, access to credit, agriculture extension contacts, membership of farmers groups/cooperatives, and monthly income influenced the adoption of the climatic adaptive measures by the smallholder farmers in the study area. Government and other agricultural stakeholders should therefore take steps to improve the climate resilience of smallholder farmers by building their capacity on multiple cropping
Corresponding Author: Obot Akaninyene Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria Email: ap.obot@unizik.edu.ng Abstract: Agriculture plays an essential role in the economy of Nigeria as it provides food for the entire population of a country and also provides raw materials for the non-agriculture sectors of the economy. Nigeria's agriculture is made up of a higher percentage of smallholder farmers who are often exposed to shocks and have less capacity to combat the impact and increase the rate of recovery due to shocks. Therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of farmers' knowledge systems are important in building a resilient agricultural sector to improve farmers' food security, and livelihoods and build resilient capacity toward pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic was a big threat to Nigeria's food security since the bulk of the food produced in Nigeria is by the smallholder farmers who are often vulnerable to shocks. The paper examined smallholder farmers' knowledge, attitude, and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic using descriptive statistics. A total of 400 smallholder farmers in the study area were interviewed about their knowledge and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic. The finding showed that 332 of the respondents were aware of the virus, 340 did not believe in the existence of the virus, 365 believed they cannot be infected by the virus, and 271 adhered to government-imposed measures on combating the virus. On the methods employed to mitigate the spread of the virus in the study area, 180% of the respondents observed the social distancing, 78% used hand sanitizer, 48% wore nose masks and 40% reduced farm visits.
The Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, 1824, is a major insect pest of potato plants. It can greatly reduce potato yields if left uncontrolled. The most effective method of controlling the CPB is to apply chemical insecticides during its life cycle. However, the CPB tends to develop resistance to chemicals. Therefore, its control is difficult. This has prompted researchers to explore alternatives to insecticides. The use of pneumatic methods to control the CPB could considerably reduce the environmental impacts of insecticide applications and the need for farmers to handle toxic products. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of a CPB pneumatic prototype machine on potato plant growth and tuber yield as well as its efficacy in controlling the CPB. Three airflow velocities (45, 50, and 55 m/s) and two travel speeds (5 and 6 km/h) were tested. The measured variables in organic and pneumatic control plots were CPB populations at different life stages, potato plant height, dry matter, Leaf Area Index (LAI), and tuber yield. The results indicated that the use of the pneumatic prototype machine to control the CPB had no significant negative impact on potato plant growth (height, dry matter, and LAI). Tuber yields were comparable to those obtained in the control plots and the prototype machine was highly effective in dislodging the CPB. These results confirm those obtained in 2018 and suggest that this innovative prototype pneumatic machine could efficiently control the CPB and significantly contribute to reducing the use of chemical insecticides.
Analysis of the rural youth engagement of IFAD value chaindevelopment program as a panacea (way-out) to unemployment in Southeast,Nigeria was the main aim of the study. The socioeconomic characteristics, valuechain interventions, readiness of the youth to implement the skills acquiredand factors hampering the youths’ readiness to implement the skills acquiredwere looked into. The data was analyzed using statistical tools such asdescriptive statistics, principal factor analysis and inferential statistics ofpaired sample t-test in order to arrive to a logical conclusion. The factorshampering the youth readiness to implement the skills were rotated intoawareness factors such as: Sex (-0.747), inadequate market arrangement (0.687)and inadequate fund (0.896) and institutional factors such as; age (-0.426), level of education (-0.797), high cost of labor (0.882) and absence of local fabricators (0.891). Furthermore,Sex, Age, Year of formal learning, Household size and mean monthly income werethe socioeconomic variable that influenced the youth’s readiness to implementthe skills acquired and the t-value of 10.5386** indicated that there was asignificant difference in the mean income of the youths before and after theirengagement.
