African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6901

Table of Content: 23 July 2015; 10(30)

July 2015

Drying and reduction in sensitivity to desiccation of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of sensitivity to desiccation of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds and reduce it by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and abscisic acid (ABA) to maintain viability. In experiment I, the seeds were desiccated to 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 ± 2% moisture content by using silica gel (fast drying) and by drying them at room conditions (slow drying; 25 ± 2°C and...

Author(s): D. P. Nunes, D. M. Dresch, S. P. Q. Scalon and Z. V. Pereira 

July 2015

The effects of tillage methods and intercropping on soil water characteristics, growth and grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea, L.) on an alfisol in South West, Nigeria

A two-year study was conducted on an Alfisol in the humid tropics of southwest Nigeria to investigate the effects of tillage and intercropping on soil water characteristics, performance of maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.). The experiment was a split-plot design with tillage methods as the main plot and intercropping as the sub-plots in a completely randomized design with four replications. Tillage...

Author(s): Ajayi A.S.

July 2015

Knowledge level of youth farmers on climate change in Benue State of Nigeria

This study examines the knowledge of youth farmers in Benue State of Nigeria on climate change. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents from two agricultural zones in the study area. Data was collected using interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. Results show that majority (92.4%) of the respondents had moderate knowledge of climate change, major...

Author(s): Nwobodo C. E. and Agwu A. E.

July 2015

Prediction model for fresh fruit yield in aromatic peppers (Capsicum annuum L.)

Information on functional relationships among yield components will enhance research efforts in breeding for high yield in aromatic peppers. The aim of this study was to develop models for predicting fresh fruit yield in aromatic Capsicum annuum through multiple linear regression analyses. Ten genotypes of aromatic pepper were evaluated for three years in the Faculty of Agriculture farm, University of Nigeria Nsukka in...

Author(s): Abu N. E., Uguru M. I., Obi I. U. and Baiyeri K. P.

July 2015

Analysis of farmers’ valuation of common bean attributes and preference heterogeneity under environmental stresses of Kenya

This study uses a choice experiment method to quantify farmers’ valuation of key bean variety attributes under different climatic conditions of Kenya and assess their willingness to pay or accept for changes in those attributes. The study also tests for the gender related heterogeneity in attribute preferences at individual and household level while accounting for differences in production scenarios to understand...

Author(s): Enid Katungi, Enoch Kikulwe and Rosemary Emongor

July 2015

Evaluation of insolvency in mutual credit unions by application of the data mining using decision trees approach

This study aimed to present an evaluation of the insolvency of mutual credit unions in the Paraná State (Brazil) by application of the data mining using decision trees approach. The information required to build the models were obtained from indicators applied to a sample of 62 mutual credit unions from which 31 are solvent and 31 are insolvent. The selection of indicators was made based on the PEARLS system,...

Author(s): Isabel Cristina Gozer, Antônio Roberto Pereira Leite de Albuquerque, Sadao Isotani, Régio Márcio Toesca Gimenes, Willian Heitor Moreira, Odair Alberton, and Emilio Araújo Menezes

July 2015

Assessment of seed genetic purity of hybrid maize variety UH6303 in southern highlands of Tanzania by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

One of the main features that give high quality to seeds is its genetic purity. Up to date, seed certification for genetic purity using molecular markers has not yet employed in seed certification system in Tanzania. This work was carried out to assess the seed genetic purity of hybrid maize UH6303 using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Hybrids UH6303 and their parental lines (47 genotypes) were used in this...

Author(s): Bakari Amiri Mrutu

July 2015

Forecast of prices for horticultural products with the use of artificial neural networks

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are becoming increasingly popular, acting as a very important tool to aid in the interpretation of the market. They have been used with benefits in time series analysis, as they provide an easy mathematical treatment and faster results, facilitating decision-making. Currently in the field of business, many systems using neural networks have worked well in identifying complex patterns,...

Author(s): Celso Correia de Souza, José Francisco dos Reis Neto, Daniel Massen Frainer, Francisco de Assis Rolim Pereira and Rafael Gabriel

July 2015

Evaluating the relative resistance of different poultry breeds to Salmonella Typhimurium

Salmonella infections originating from poultry are one of the major causes of food-borne diseases. To control Salmonella in poultry multifactorial approach is likely to be effective, and genetic resistance of poultry breeds to Salmonella infections may have valuable contribution. Experimental research was conducted to evaluate relative resistance of poultry breeds: Local, Fayoumi and Koekoek to Salmonella Typhimurium...

Author(s): Gebrerufael Girmay, Mahendra Pal, Tadelle Dessie, Tesfaye Sissay and Alehegn Wubete

July 2015

The first anatomical and histochemical study of tough lovegrass (Eragrostis plana Nees, Poaceae)

Eragrostis plana Nees (Poaceae), known commonly as tough lovegrass, is the most abundant invasive plant found in the rangelands of Southern Brazil. This study is the first to document the anatomical and histochemical features of the leaves and roots of this grass. Five leaf blades and five roots were collected, fixed in formaldehyde, glacial acetic acid, ethanol 70° (FAA 70), sectioned, stained, and photographed...

Author(s): Adriana Favaretto, Jossana Santos, Cercí Maria Carneiro and Simone Meredith Scheffer Basso

July 2015

Physiological quality of yellow passion fruit seed produced under saline water, NPK and bovine biofertilizer

Brazil is the largest producer of passion fruit, having the Northeast region as the main producing region, where orchards are formed almost exclusively from seed. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of different qualities of water and four levels of liquid manure applied to the soil in the absence and presence of mineral NPK fertiliser on the physiological attributes of yellow passion fruit seeds. The seeds were...

Author(s): Stênio Andrey Guedes Dantas, Lourival Ferreira Cavalcante, Edna UrsulinoAlves, José Adeilson Medeiros do nascimento, Sherly Aparecida da Silva and Tony Andreson Guedes Dantas

July 2015

Accuracy of linear methods to estimate the leaf area of genotypes of conilon coffee

This study aimed to establish models of equations to estimate leaf area in genotypes of Coffea canephora Pierre ex Froehner var. Conilon using linear measurements of mature leaves as input, and compare its accuracy with other methods that have been used for Coffee sp. Linear measurement of leaves of13 genotypes of Coffea canephora Pierre ex Froehner, cultivated in field following a randomized blocks design, were...

Author(s): Sebastião Vinícius Batista Brinate, Lima Deleon Martins, Wagner Nunes Rodrigues, Tafarel Victor Colodetti, José Francisco Teixeira Amaral and Marcelo Antonio Tomaz

July 2015

Production of Pouteria gardneriana (A. DC.) Radlk. seedlings on different substrates

The aim of this study was to evaluate growth characteristics, nutrition and seedling quality of guapeva produced on different substrates. The substrates used here included MecPlant®+rice husk (RH), fine vermiculite+subsoil+decomposed corn silage (FV+SB+DCS), and subsoil coarse sand composted cattle manure (SB+CS+CCM) at the ratios 7:3, 3:1:6, and 2:2:1, respectively, and FV+SB+RH at ratios 2:2:1 and 1:1:1;...

Author(s): Clenilso Sehnen Mota, Paulo Dornelles, Fabiano Guimaraes Silva, Jaqueline da Silva Sousa, João das Graças Santana and Eduardo da Costa Severiano

July 2015

Determinants of farm-level decisions regarding cereal crops and varieties in semi-arid central Tanzania

We assess the potential and constraints of increased sorghum and pearl millet production to enhance food security and livelihoods in central Tanzania. These dryland cereals show a high potential to contribute to local food security. The study employed structured questionnaire survey as the main data collection method.  Data analysis involved the use of Multinomial logit model (MNL) in combination with other...

Author(s): Barnabas Msongaleli, Siza Tumbo,  Filbert Rwehumbiza  and Nganga Kihupi

July 2015

Effects of piggery waste doses and modes of application in the early development of maize plants

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different doses and modes of application of piggery waste in the early development of maize plants. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using a randomized block experimental design, with treatments arranged in a 6x2 experimental scheme. Factors consisted of six doses of piggery waste (0, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 m-3 ha-1) and two modes of application...

Author(s): Eloisa Mattei, Edleusa Pereira Seidel, Diandra Achre, Silvio Douglas Ferreira, Vanessa Aline Egewarth, Marcos Cesar Mottin, Willian Bosquette Rosa, Vinícius Mattia, Kaian Albino Corazza Kaefer and Gustavo Moratelli

July 2015

Evaluation of Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties against chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) in North Gondar, Ethiopia

Faba bean (Vicia fabae L.) is one of the earliest domesticated food legumes in the world, probably in the late Neolithic period. The crop is also called by several local names (broad bean, horse bean and field bean). The wild progenitor and the exact origin of faba bean still remain unknown. Cultivated faba bean is mainly used as human food in developing and as animal feed in industrialized countries. The objective of...

Author(s): Tewodros Tesfaye Negash, Asfaw Azanaw, Getachew Tilahun, Kibersew mulat and Samuel Sahile Woldemariam

July 2015

The role of slope and parent material in the formation of landform

In this research, landform classification was performed based on the simple method developed by Weise, who used topographic position index (TPI) to classify the landform. TPI compares the elevation of each cell in a digital elevation model (DEM) to the mean elevation of a specified neighborhood around that cell. It can be calculated by a simple formula in different scales. After preparing landform map of the study area,...

Author(s): Zohreh Alijani and Fereydoun Sarmadian

July 2015

Evaluation the Adaptability of Dessert Banana Cultivars at Belese Valley, North Western Ethiopia

Eleven dessert banana cultivars were evaluated on vertisols at Pawe for four consecutive cropping cycles. The experiment was established using a randomized complete block design with three replications and analysis of variance and correlation were carried out to examine the yield and morphological adaptation of yield related characters of the cultivars. The cultivars in the study showed a significant difference (p...

Author(s): Tesfa Binalfew and Mekias Damtew

July 2015

Estimation of growth parameters in fingerlings of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) fed with exogenous nutrizyme in Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India

Biotechnological research and development are moving at a very fast pace. The application of biotechnology in the fisheries sector is a neoteric practice. Nevertheless, it is a promising area to enhance fish production. Efficacy of exogenous nutrizymes in fish feed is being reinvestigated in the present time. A feeding experiment of 90 days was conducted to assess the efficacy of exogenous nutrizyme supplement diet on...

Author(s): A. Khati, M. Danish, K. S. Mehta and N. N. Pandey

July 2015

Stomatal density and distribution in different cassava genotypes

This study aimed to establish the anatomical characteristics, and to determine the density, size and distribution of stomata in the abaxial surface of leaves of different cassava genotypes. The apical, middle and basal portions of fully expanded leaves of genotypes Baianinha, Caapora, Fécula Branca, IAC 12, IAC 13, IAC 14, IAC 15, IAC 576, IAC 90 and IAPAR União were analyzed. The design was completely...

Author(s): Eli Carlos de Oliveira, Édison Miglioranza, Dana Kátia Meschede, Felipe Aranha de Andrade, Suzana de Fatima Paccola Mesquita and Celia Guadaìupe Tardeli de Jesus Andrade