October 2012
Conservation Agriculture for smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: Recent developments and future prospects
The current interest in Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies is a result of the need to reduce excessive land degradation in most crop producing areas as well as, to enhance sustainable food production. Cover crops that are usually grown under CA to provide soil cover may offer secondary benefits depending on the farming system. The concept of growing cover crops is a relatively new phenomenon to...
October 2012
The groundnut leaf miner collected from South Africa is identified by mtDNA CO1 gene analysis as the Australian soybean moth (Aproaerema simplixella) (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
Although the leaf miner attacking groundnut in Africa is widely reported as Aproaerema modicella (Deventer), a common groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) pest in Indo-Asian countries, a proper taxonomic identification of the pest has not been done. A detection survey of the pest was conducted on groundnut, soybean and lucerne (Medicago...
October 2012
Yield comparison of dry land corn (Zea mays L.) varieties under different rain fed conditions in Mexico
Corn varieties were evaluated under different rain fed conditions for several years in Calera (representative locality of an ecological region) and Valparaiso (representative locality of another region), Zacatecas, Mexico. The aim was to observe whether they showed the same stubble and grain yield throughout the years, for them to be used in breeding programs. Precipitation in Calera oscillated between 176...
October 2012
Effects of biological factors on fruit and seed set in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)
In this study, the effective pollination period (EPP) was studied using three loquat cultivars with different seed set abilities, ‘Dawuxing’, ‘Longquan No.5’ and ‘Chuannong No.1’, so as to identify the factors determining fruit set and seed set. The EPP was determined by delayed and hand pollination, and the factors affecting the EPP were evaluated through...
October 2012
Emergence response of Persian shallot (Allium altissimum) to temperature
Temperature is one of the fundamental parameters to determine plant growth rate and production. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the emergence response of Persian shallot (Allium altissimum) to temperature by cardinal temperatures calculation. We used three regression models including intersected-lines, five-parameter beta and quadratic polynomial. This study was performed on ten...
October 2012
The role of ants and mammalian herbivores on the structure and composition of insect communities found on canopies of Acacia drepanolobium
Acacia drepanolobium Sjøstedt (Fabaceae) constitutes about 99% of the woody vegetation in the cotton soil ecosystem of Laikipia, Kenya. The tree has symbiotic association with four ant species that discourage large mammalian herbivores from feeding on it. However, there is no information as to whether these ants affect the community of canopy insects. Therefore, this study investigated the effect...
October 2012
Dissipation rate of different commercial formulations of malathion applied to tomatoes
Dissipation of malathion following one application of different commercial formulations of Malathion 57% EC, Malathiom-kemanova 57% EC, Malatox 57% EC and Actathion 57% EC were estimated by employing optimized QuEChERS technique and gas chromatography with flame photometric detector (GC-FPD). The average recoveries of malathion on tomato for fortification levels of 0.01 and 1.0 mg kg−1 were...
October 2012
Physico-chemical and sensory qualities of soy and milk solids fortified low fat yoghurt
The study evaluated the physical and sensory qualities of low fat yoghurt made by fortifying milk base with soy milk powder (SMP) instead of non-fat dried milk (NFDM) powder. Two batches of yoghurt were produced using 2% fat milk fortified with 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0% of SMP or NFDM. One batch contained Maizena as stabilizer (MS). Yoghurts were produced from the fortified milk and a control without...
October 2012
Towards an analytical framework linking institutions and quality: Evidence from the Beninese pineapple sector
Improving non-traditional agricultural product quality is challenging for smallholder farmers in developing countries since they often lack the resources and an adequate enabling institutional environment. Based on an extensive literature review, this paper develops an analytical framework identifying factors influencing the improvement of quality and the underlying institutions influencing these factors in...
October 2012
Spatial variability of physical attributes of a clayey latosol related to the grain yield of the crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst) culture
The aim of this study was to determine, with the help of thematic maps obtained by kriging interpolation, the existence of relationship between spatial variability of soil density and soil resistance to penetration with crambe yield (Crambe abyssinica) under no-tillage system on clayey Latosol. The experiment was conducted in experimental area located in Cascavel-Paraná, Brazil. The experimental grid...
October 2012
Development of a greenhouse roof cleaner
The efficiency of a greenhouse is influenced by the cleanliness of the glazing material through which heat and light penetrate into the enclosure. The common cleaning method for most greenhouses in developing countries is the use of a ladder to climb onto the roof to clean which is labour intensive, time-consuming, imposes severe loads on the roof that could cause failure and is dangerous to the cleaner....
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