Correlates of job autonomy, personal initiatives and employees’ psychological well-being in ministry of agriculture, Ogun State, Nigeria

The study assessed whether job autonomy and personal initiatives are predictors of psychological wellbeingamong employees in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ogun State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedurewas used to select 208 employees for the study. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages,weighted mean scores, and correlational analysis. Results showed that 85.6% of the employees noted thatthey were able to choose the way to go about. their job while 83.6% reiterated that they were allowed todecide how to go about getting their job done. Also, the result on personal initiative showed that 97.0%noted that they chose the role they wish to have in a group while 84.1% reported that they have a plan formaking their lives more balanced. For psychological well-being, 97.6% of the employees accounted that thedemands of everyday life always get them down while 87.5% affirmed that they have confidence in their ownopinions, even if they are different from the way other employees think. There were significant relationshipsbetween job autonomy (r = 0.01**), personal initiatives (r = 0.01**), and psychological well-being.Employees’ job autonomy and personal initiative are predictors of psychological well-being. The ministryshould encourage the use of job autonomy and personal initiative by the employees where necessary toimprove the psychological well-being and administrative strength of the ministry

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of growing rabbits fed mango (Mangifera indica) leaf meal as a replacement for wheat offal

The increasing demand for animal protein due to population growth has created a pressing need to explore non-conventional feed resources as a sustainable way to protein shortages. Hence, an 8 week trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of mango (Mangifera indica) leaf meal (MLM) as a replacement for wheat offal in the diets of growing rabbits. A total of 18 unsexed, mixed breed rabbits (New Zealand white x Chinchilla), aged between 6-8 weeks with average live weight of 600-800 g were used for this study. These animals were randomly allotted into three dietary treatments; 0, 5, and 10% MLM replaced wheat offal in a completely randomized design. Proximate composition of MLM was determined as well as carcass traits, physico-chemical and sensory indices of the meat of growing rabbits were evaluated. Result revealed that MLM contained 92.17 ± 0.04% dry matter, 9.63 ±0.54% crude protein, 13.26 ± 0.25% crude fibre, 2.05 ± 0.24% ether extract, 49.41 ± 0.91% nitrogen free extract and 2278.06 ± 0.02% metabolisable energy. The inclusion of MLM in the diet did not significantly (P > 0.05) affect the carcass characteristics of growing rabbits except the live weight and head. Rabbits fed dietary 0 (1533.33g) and 5 (1526.67g) % MLM had similar (P>0.05) values but significantly higher than those on 10% MLM (1286.67g). Meat quality attributes were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by dietary MLM, except for cooking loss and thermal loss. The dry matter (87.43 – 89.35%) and crude protein (22.55-25.98%) content of the meat sample of rabbits fed dietary MLM increased across the dietary treatments as MLM inclusion levels increased. Dietary MLM had no significant (P>0.05) influence on the organoleptic indices of meat except the juiciness. Juiciness of meat from growing rabbits fed dietary mango leaf meal significantly increased across the dietary treatments as MLM inclusion level increased. This study concludes that MLM can be incorporated up to 10 % in the diet of growing rabbits as it enhanced certain meat quality parameters like dry matter, crude protein content and juiciness without adversely affecting most carcass traits or other sensory qualities

Phyto-additive effects of baobab (Adansonia digitata l.) fruit pulp on physiological, reproductive and antioxidant indices of male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

A 12-week experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of varying levels of Baobab Fruit Pulp (BFP) on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters, testicular morphometrics, reproductive hormones and antioxidant indices of male Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Eighty (80) male Japanese quails (4 weeks old) were used for the experiment. The quails were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 of 16 birds each with two replicates in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The control diet was tagged T1 and did not contain BFP while T2, T3, T4 and T5 contained 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% BFP respectively. At the end of the 12th week, blood samples were collected forhaematological, serum biochemical, reproductive hormones and oxidative stress indices assays. The birds were sacrificed and testes were carefully dissected for testicular morphometrics (testes weight, length and volume). Data were analyzed using ANOVA at p<0.05. The quails’ packed cell volume, red blood cell, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration were all significantly (p<0.05) higher at 0.8% BFP supplementation level than other levels. Aspartate aminotransferase, Alanine aminotransferase, Low density lipoprotein, High density lipoprotein and urea were also significantly (p<0.05) higher at 0.8% BFP than other levels. Quails fed 0.2% BFP had significantly (p<0.05) larger mean testes volume than other treatments. Follicle stimulating hormone was significantly higher at 0.2 and 0.4% BFP than other treatments while glutathione was highest at 2% BFP. It was concluded that up to 0.8% BFP supplementation supported blood formation but could lead to liver and kidney damage. However, 0.2% supplementation showed the potential to enhance reproductive parameters and antioxidant indices of the male Japanese quail without adverse effect

Unravelling economic heterosis for nutritional profiles and grain yield in extra-early provitamin a quality protein maize

Heterosis is a crucial genetic mechanism for enhancing grain yield and nutritional quality in extra-earlyprovitamin A (PVA) Quality Protein Maize (QPM). This study investigated the extent of heterosis in grainyield, tryptophan content, and carotenoid composition among 10 PVA-QPM hybrids. A partial diallelmating design, excluding reciprocals, generated 45 F₁ hybrids from 10 extra-early PVA-QPM inbred lines.These hybrids, along with their 10 parental lines and two commercial hybrid checks, were evaluated underrainfed conditions at the Lower Niger River Basin Authority, Oke-Oyi, Nigeria, over two consecutive years.Significant economic heterotic effects were observed for grain yield, with values ranging from -4.29% inTZEIORQ 26 × TZEQI 82 to 19.38% in TZEIORQ 11 × TZEIORQ 24, demonstrating the genetic advantageof certain hybrids over commercial varieties. The Tryptophan content exhibited notable positive heterosis,surpassing 50% in the derived hybrids, further validating the effectiveness of QPM breeding initiatives.Provitamin A and different carotenoids showed significant hybrid vigour, especially marked by substantialgains in α-carotene (295.65%), β-carotene (46.80%), and β-cryptoxanthin (40.52%). The low standarderror of difference values (0.0044-0.0124) and highly significant critical differences at 5% (0.0087-0.0247)and 1% (0.0114-0.0319) levels confirmed the statistical reliability of the findings. These results underscorethe potential of hybrid breeding for biofortification, reinforcing its role in addressing vitamin A deficiency.Further studies are needed to evaluate genotype-by-environment interactions, ensuring the stability andadaptability of these hybrids in various agroecological region

Evaluation of dietary supplementation of black seed (Nigella sativa) on the histological structure of kidney, liver and testis of rabbit bucks

This study investigated the histological response of kidney, liver and testis of rabbit buck to dietarysupplementation of Black seed (Nigella sativa). Twenty (20) Chinchilla X New Zealand White, 5-6 weeksold, were balanced for weight and assigned to four (4) treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 of five rabbits each in aCompletely Randomized Design (CRD). The four experimental treatments were supplemented with blackseed (Nigella sativa) at 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% levels, respectively. After twelve (12) weeks of feeding, thebucks were sacrificed and organs (kidney, liver and testes) were extracted for histological evaluation. Theresults showed that kidney tubular system and the interstitium appeared healthy and normal in the treatedgroups (T2, T3 and T4) with a mild improvement over the control (T1). The liver hepatocytes were alsoobserved to be normal across the treatments. The seminiferous tubules in testes of rabbit bucks fed varyinglevels of Black seed had normal and larger well-arranged germ cell population than the control. As Nigellasativa supplementation increased up to 1.5%, the testicular histo-architecture remained normal. This studydemonstrated that Nigella sativa seeds, at the supplementation levels in diet, possess the potential toimprove and preserve the histo-architecture of rabbit kidney, liver and testi

The influence of socio-economic factors on efficiency of wheat farmers in Nigeria

The study examined the socio-economic factors influencing efficiency of wheat farmers in some wheat producing states of Nigeria. The study did not cover Borno and Yobe states wheat producing areas due to security challenges. Primary data was obtained from 866 farmers using proportionate selection of wheat farmers from the states list of farmers. A structured questionnaire and interview schedule were administered to the farmers to collect data for the study. Stochastic frontier model was used to capture wheat farmers production efficiency. Years of experience in wheat farming, extension visit, sex, level of literacy and household size were found to inversely influence technical inefficiency of respondents. There should betraining and retraining of more wheat farmers to reduce technical inefficiency among wheat farmers across the wheat producing states in Nigeria

Optimizing plant population and weed control methods for enhanced physiological growth and yield response of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in the Nigerian Sudan savanna

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) production in the Sudan Savannah agroecological zone of Nigeria is significantly influenced by multiple agronomic factors, particularly plant population and weed control methods. This study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farms of Bayero University Kano (BUK) and the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Bagauda, during the 2018 and 2019 rainy seasons to assess the physiological growth, yield response, and weed control efficiency of sunflower under varying plant populations and weed control methods. The treatments consisted of three plant populations (22,500,000, 48,750,000, and 52,500,000 plants ha-1) and eight weed control methods, including mechanical, chemical, and allelopathic approaches. These were laid out in a split-plot design with three replications, with plant population and weed control methods the main plot and sub plots, respectively. Results revealed that the highest plant population (52,500,000 plants ha-1) significantly enhanced the physiological growth characters. The highest (0.07 g wk-1) relative growth rate (RGR) was recorded in 2019 at Bagauda, while the combined analysis showed 0.05 and 0.16 g wk-1 at Bagauda and BUK. Similarly, CGR peaked at 126.40 g cm-² wk-1 in 2019 at Bagauda and 106.40 g cm-² wk-1 in the combined analysis at BUK, while LAI reached its highest value at 4.59 in 2019 at Bagauda. However, kernel yield per hectare decreased at the highest plant population due to increased intraspecific competition. Among the weed control methods, (T3) application of pre-emergence Tithonia diversifolia extract fb post-emergence at 6 WAS recorded the highest weed control efficiency (WCE) of 76.3% at Bagauda and 82.88% at BUK, and significantly improved sunflower growth and yield components. The optimal plant population of 48,750,000 plants/ha combined with T3 was the most effective strategy for maximizing kernel yield while ensuring sustainable weed management. The weedy check consistently resulted in the lowest performance across all parameters. These findings suggest that an optimal plant population combined with allelopathic-based weed management can enhance sunflower productivity while minimizing weed interference in the Sudan Savannah region of Nigeria

Double-edge effects of small-scale irrigation on small-holder vegetable farmers’ income in Gurara dam, Nigeria

This study examined the dual effects of the Gurara Irrigation Scheme on the income and livelihood diversification of smallholder vegetable farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 188 irrigation beneficiaries and 202 non-beneficiaries across twelve communities. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires, and the analysis employed descriptive statistics, Simpson’s Index of Diversity (SID), and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to assess the impact of irrigation on household income and livelihood patterns. The results revealed a clear contrast in livelihood strategies between the two groups. Non-beneficiaries exhibited significantly higher livelihood diversification, with a mean SID of 0.64 compared to 0.22 for beneficiaries. While 74.07% of nonbeneficiaries engaged in high-diversity income portfolios, 59.88% of beneficiaries concentrated on lowdiversity livelihoods, primarily irrigated vegetable farming. This suggests a trade-off between specialization and resilience. Income impact analysis using four PSM algorithms showed that irrigation significantly enhanced income, with the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) ranging from ₦941,652.90 to ₦1,031,595.00 annually. These findings confirmed that while irrigation improves income, it may also reduce livelihood flexibility and increase exposure to market or climate-related shocks. The study concludes that forirrigation schemes to sustainably improve rural livelihoods, complementary policies must promote off-farm opportunities and diversification, ensuring both income enhancement and economic resilience for smallholder farmers

Effect of intercropping on the incidence and severity of damage of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) on maize (Zea mays l)

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) is an invasive and destructive pest that came intoNigeria recently, where it has established itself as one of the maize’s most important insect pests. The effectof intercropping on the incidence and severity of damage to maize was investigated, where maize wasintercropped with five different crops, namely, cowpea, groundnut, soya bean, sorghum and roselle, andcontrolled plots with sole maize. Randomized Complete Block Design was used, and the treatments werereplicated four times. Parameters taken were number of damaged leaves per plant, severity of damaged onleaves, number of damaged ears per plot, severity of damage on ears and yield per plot. The result of thestudy had shown that plots where maize was intercropped with soya bean had, significantly (P<0.05), thelowest incidence (17.5 %) and severity of damage (2.8) compared to plots with sole maize, that had thehighest incidence (43.8 %) and severity of damage (5.5). The percentage of damaged tassels was the highestin plots where maize was a sole crop (17.5 %), followed by maize and sorghum (15 % each). The lowestpercentage of damaged tassels was recorded on maize that was intercropped with soya bean (5.0%), andwas significantly (P< 0.05) lower than the rest of the five treatments. Similarly, the percentage of damagedears was the highest with maize as a sole crop (15 %) and lowest on maize intercropped with soya bean (3.7%). Highest yield was also recorded in plots where maize was intercropped with soya bean (7.43 tons/ha),followed by maize-cowpea intercropped plots (6.44 tons/ha) and maize-groundnut intercropped plots(5.23tons/ha) and plots where maize was a sole crop had, significantly the lowest yield (P< .05) The resultof this study is indicative of the potentials of using intercropping, especially when legumes such as soyabean, are included, as a management tactic against fall armyworm on maize. This will reduce a totalreliance on synthetic insecticide to manage the insect pest by small holder maize farmers in Nigeri

Meat qualities of rabbits fed diets containing dried watermelon rinds as an energy source

The silent competition between humans and livestock for maize has brought about the recent researches on the use of unconventional feed ingredients, such as dried water melon rinds (DWMR), as an inclusion in livestock feed. This study was therefore conducted to assess the effect of diets containing graded levels of DWMR on rabbits’ meat quality. Eighty (80) crossbreed, unsexed weaner rabbits with the mean weight of 630g were used for this study, allocated on weight equalization basis into four (4) treatment groups (0%, 5%, 10% and 15% of DWMR inclusion levels, representing T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively and further divided into five (5) replicates of 4 rabbits. A total of 24 rabbits, 6 from each treatment were slaughtered for meat quality assessment. Results revealed a significant (P<0.05) influence of DWMR in the fat and crudefibre (within the negligible range of 1-2%) contents of the meat. Fat was highest (14.21%) in T3 while fibre was highest (1.11%) in T4. Cooking loss, refrigeration loss, water absorptive power and colour of meat from rabbits were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by DWMR. Although lipid profile was not significantly (P>0.05) affected by DWMR, significant (P<0.05) differences were observed in the levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Gluthatione (GSH) and Catalase (CAT). MDA level was least at the 5% DWMR treatment group while the 0% and 10% DWMR treatment groups had the highest level of GSH and CAT respectively. Meat from rabbits fed 15% DWMR recorded the highest score for tenderness in sensorial profile. It was then concluded that up to 15 % of DWMR in rabbits’ diets had no negative effect on the quality of their meat