Comparison of Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality Performance of Tomatoes Varieties under Controlled Environment Condition of the Southern Guinea Savannah

Controlled agriculture environment is one of the modern techniques, which has the potential to meet the challenges faced by tomato producers in the country during the off-season. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of five different varieties of tomatoes under controlled environment (screen house). The results revealed that the Nemoneta variety, performed better compared to other varieties in terms of plant height (8.3cm) and also have the highest shelf life of 14 days followed by Delicious with 7 days, while the number of fruits per plant was height in Small Cherry with an average of 8.733/plant, but Delicious variety gave the highest values in terms of marketable fruit weight (9.33kg) and highest pH values (4.07). In terms of fruit quality, Large Cherry variety contains the highest values for lycopene (1467.30mg/100g), vitamin A & B (56.7mg/100g & 0.62 mg/100g, respectively) and potassium (0.62%)

Effect of rubber effluent and urea fertilizer on the growth, yield and leaf quality of fluted pumpkin (telfairia occidentalis)

Abstract: The utilization of agro-processing by-products as a veritable source of nitrogen for vegetable production is being popularized. An experiment to determine the effect of rubber effluent as an inorganic fertilizer on the growth, yield and nutritional composition of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) was conducted at Landmark University Teaching and Research Farm between 2014. The experiment consisted of four treatments which are: control, rubber effluent, urea, and rubber effluent + urea laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data on the response of the morphological traits such as vine length, number of leaf/plant, and leaf area recorded fortnightly 2 weeks after transplanting while proximate composition on leaf were determined after harvest. Parameters assessed were significantly (p<0.05) increased by the applied fertilizer types. Rubber effluent + urea had the highest vine length at 4, 6, 8, and 10 WAT, urea fertilizer, had the highest leaf number at 8 & 10 WAT, while the leaf area was highest at 8 & 10 WAT with rubber effluent + urea treatment. The crude protein (41.76 %) was highest plant treated with rubber effluent + urea, while treatment with rubber effluent has the highest % in ether extract (13.33%) and crude fibre (7.5 %

Analyses of hybrid yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) onfarm trials in southwestern Nigeria

Hybrid yam variety TDr 89/02665 was compared with a local cultivar Igbakumo in on-farm trials in southwestern Nigeria in 2006 and 2007. The trials were to determine the productivity of the hybrid yam with and without staking of vines in the rainforest and savanna areas respectively. The local cultivar was staked in all the trials. A total of twenty and thirty farmers were used for the trials in the rain forest and savanna respectively. In the forest area, tuber yield was low in both varieties due to late planting in 2006 and yield was similar between the treatments within farms and across the farms. However, early planting in 2007 resulted in higher tuber yield of hybrid yam in all the farms. Hybrid yam tried without staking gave higher yields in 44 to 50% of the farms in the two savanna locations in 2006. The other farms recorded similar yields between the two treatments. In 2007, yield was low and hybrid yams had similar yield with Igbakumo cultivar. Rainfall was scanty during germination and growth in 2007 and this affected yam productivity. In both experiments, hybrid yam TDr 89/02665 was more responsive to environmental changes than the local cultivar using the stability analysis regression equation. Thus, the application of improved agronomic practices will increase tuber yield of hybrid yam above the local cultivar by 50%. It is suggested that cultivating the hybrid yam as early crop in rain forest will improve yield and income of farmers. In the savanna, cultivating TDr 89/02665 without staking is feasible and further selection and breeding of lines for none staking is desirable for economic and environmental reasons

Comparison of Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality Performance of Tomatoes Varieties under Controlled Environment Condition of the Southern Guinea Savannah

Controlled agriculture environment is one of the modern techniques, which has the potential to meet the challenges faced by tomato producers in the country during the off-season. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of five different varieties of tomatoes under controlled environment (screen house). The results revealed that the Nemoneta variety, performed better compared to other varieties in terms of plant height (8.3cm) and also have the highest shelf life of 14 days followed by Delicious with 7 days, while the number of fruits per plant was height in Small Cherry with an average of 8.733/plant, but Delicious variety gave the highest values in terms of marketable fruit weight (9.33kg) and highest pH values (4.07). In terms of fruit quality, Large Cherry variety contains the highest values for lycopene (1467.30mg/100g), vitamin A & B (56.7mg/100g & 0.62 mg/100g, respectively) and potassium (0.62%)

Effect of rubber effluent and urea fertilizer on the growth, yield and leaf quality of fluted pumpkin (telfairia occidentalis)

The utilization of agro-processing by-products as a veritable source of nitrogen for vegetable production is being popularized. An experiment to determine the effect of rubber effluent as an inorganic fertilizer on the growth, yield and nutritional composition of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) was conducted at Landmark University Teaching and Research Farm between 2014. The experiment consisted of four treatments which are: control, rubber effluent, urea, and rubber effluent + urea laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data on the response of the morphological traits such as vine length, number of leaf/plant, and leaf area recorded fortnightly 2 weeks after transplanting while proximate composition on leaf were determined after harvest. Parameters assessed were significantly (p<0.05) increased by the applied fertilizer types. Rubber effluent + urea had the highest vine length at 4, 6, 8, and 10 WAT, urea fertilizer, had the highest leaf number at 8 & 10 WAT, while the leaf area was highest at 8 & 10 WAT with rubber effluent + urea treatment. The crude protein (41.76 %) was highest at rubber effluent + urea treatment, while treatment with rubber effluent had the highest % ether extract (13.33%) and crude fibre (7.5 %)

ASSESSMENT OF YIELD LOSS OF ROSELLE (HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA L.) DUE TO ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE, MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

Root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood is an economically important pathogen of many agricultural crops, and the frequency of occurrence, abundance and importance of this nematode in resource-poor agricultural production systems make control necessary. Field studies were conducted in 2004 and 2005 to determine yield loss of Roselle due to natural infestation by M. incognita using Carbofuran 3G at 2 kg a.i./ha and untreated as check. The yield of Roselle was found to be higher with the application of nematicide-Carbofuran 3G at 2 kg a.i./ha. The percentage increase over control was 48.7 and 40.8% in the years 2004 and 2005, respectively. A significant reduction in the yield of Roselle in untreated plots was mainly attributed to direct damage of the root system by the feeding of root-knot nematode M. incognita. Root-knot nematode population in carbofuran treated plots was significantly lower than in untreated check in the two years, also at harvest. In the check the nematodes multiplied many folds during the cropping season. High nematode population in the untreated check decreased plant growth and ultimately reduced the number of seeds and weight of seeds

Nutritional and antioxidant profiles of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepoLinn.) immature and mature fruits as influenced by NPK fertilizer

This study evaluated the influence of NPK fertilizer on protein, fibre, ash, fat, carbohydrate, antioxidantactivities and antioxidant phenolic compounds in immature and mature fruits of pumpkin. The treatmentconsisted of six NPK levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg/ha), and was replicated six times in a random-ized complete block design (RCBD). Proximate analysis and antioxidant assays were done using standardanalytical methods. At control and lower NPK rates, the proximate compositions and antioxidant profileof pumpkin fruits decreased with increasing NPK fertilizer. Between the control and the highest fertilizerrate, proximate compositions decreased by 7–62% while the antioxidant profile decreased by 13–79% forboth immature and mature fruits. Across all the measured parameters, mature fruit had higher proximatecontents and higher antioxidant concentrations. For the high health value of pumpkin fruits to be main-tained, little or no NPK fertilizer should be applie

Comparative effects of effective microorganism activated solution, leaf extracts and carbofuran on the growth and yield of cucumber planted on Meloidogyne incognita infested soil.

Two field experiments were conducted between 2014 and 2016 on the effects of effective microorganism activated solution (EMAS), carbofuran and some plant leaf extracts (Azadirachta indica and Tithonia diversifolia) on the performance of cucumber planted on root-knot nematode (RKN) infested soil. The trials were carried out on two separate fields in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, each measuring about 15 m x 10 m. The experimental designs were randomized complete block, comprising of five treatments (EMAS, Azadirachta indica, Tithonia diversifolia Carbofuran and control). Each treatment was randomly assigned to a plot in a block and replicated three times. After land preparation, Cucumber seed cv. Monalisa F1 which is nematode susceptible was planted and inoculated with 2000 J2 M. incognita two weeks after planting while treatments were applied one week after inoculation. The result from the experiment showed that all the cucumber treated with EMAS, plant extract and carbofuran resulted into significantly (P < 0.05) increased vegetative growth and fruit yield compared with the control. Nematode soil population and root gall index were reduced in plant extract and carbofuran treated soil while it remained high in EMAS and not significantly (P < 0.05) different from the control. Phytochemical screening of the plant extracts revealed the presence of alkaloid, tannin, flavonoid and saponin. EMAS did not bring about reduction in soil nematode population as it was not significantly (P < 0.05) different from the control but recorded the highest yield showing that it strengthened the tolerance level of cucumber to nematode attack