Effect of feeding crop residues of different cereals and legumes on weight gain of Yankassa rams

Crop residues from maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) are important livestock feed in the West African savannas particularly during the long dry season. The residues from cereal crops are relatively in abundance, but of low nutritive value compared to the leguminous crop residues, which are normally in short supply. This experiment was conducted to determine the most efficient combinations of feeding crop residues of major cereals and legumes with and without bran supplement to ‘Yankassa’ rams in confinement over a 70-day period and their effect on weight gains. Feeding the residues of cereals alone resulted in a mean weight loss of 14% for sorghum, 16% for maize and 11% for millet, while feeding the residues of cowpea or groundnut alone resulted in the weight gain of about 13 and 12%, respectively. Supplementing the cereals residues with about 300 g of legume residues per ram per day resulted in slight gain in weight. Addition of 300 g wheat bran and 300 g legume residues to the cereals in the daily diets of each ram resulted in about 19% mean weight gain. Thus, bran showed a small but significant additive effect on weight gain. From the 1.5 kg cereals or legumes residues offered per ram per day, the rams ate about 50% of cereals and 82% of the legumes. Thus, the cereals residues are not only less nutritious, but also less consumable compared to the legumes

Intensive cereal-legume–livestock systems in West African dry Savannas.

The dry savannas of West Africa are undergoing rapid transformation of agricultural practices owing to the rapid human and livestock population growth, increase in agricultural intensification and accelerated climate change which has increased the incidence and severity of diseases, pests and drought. The major constraints to agricultural production in the savanna include poor soil fertility, pests and diseases of crops and livestock, parasitic weeds such as Striga hermonthica, drought, and competition between crops and livestock for resources, Inadequate policies, weak institutional mechanisms, and poor linkages among farmers, and researchers prevent adoption of improved agricultural technologies that can combat these constraints. The risk of continuous cultivation on these poor and fragile soils is huge. Integrating crop and livestock production offers ways to increase production while protecting the environment. Over the years, research and development institutions have generated several agricultural technologies to alleviate the majority of the production constraints in the West African savannas. However, most development organizations use traditional extension methods that result in poor adoption of the improved technologies. The integration of crop and livestock production is particularly desirable in intensively farmed and densely populated areas with access to urban markets. Proper integration of these practices will diversify smallholder income and increase food security. Integrated genetic and natural resource management provides the keys improved eco-efficiency. This includes integrating pesticide use with cultural practices such as modified planting date and disease control; rotating/ intercropping cereals and legumes; use of pest resistant\tolerant cultivars to increase the effectiveness of pest control and reduce the need for pesticides; and improving soil fertility restoration/maintenance. Government and national institutions in West Africa are encouraged to scale-out these technologies to wider areas for increased benefit to farmers through the use of proven extension methods

Variation in physicochemical properties of seed of selected improved varieties of cowpea as it relates to industrial utilization of the crop

Cowpea is an important food, cash and fodder crop in Sub-Saharan Africa and has potential of becoming an industrial crop. A trial was conducted to evaluate selected improved and popular varieties of cowpea for physicochemical characteristics that can help to promote commercial production and industrial use. Variations in content were found among varieties for protein (21.3 - 26.9%), carbohydrate (63.37 - 69.56%), fat (1.2 to 1.80%), crude fibre (0.43 to 1.03%), and tannin (0.87 - 1.51 mg/g), also in water binding capacity (91.77 - 108.35%) and gelatinization temperature (79.13 - 84.83oC). High positive correlations (0.86) were observed between the content of fat and crude fibre, ash and protein (0.78), carbohydrate and viscosity of cowpea flour (0.76), and between ash and tannin (0.61) content of cowpea seed, negative correlations were observed between the content of crude protein and carbohydrate (- 0.98), ash and fat (-0.78), crude protein and viscosity (-0.76) of cowpea flour, fat and water binding capacity of cowpea flour (-0.72) and carbohydrate and tannin (-0.54) in cowpea seed. Seed coat colour plays no significant role in the chemical content of the seed. The physicochemical properties evaluated generally had high broad sense heritability (56 - 99%). Cowpea varieties (IT97K-1101-5 and IT89KD-288) with high protein content could be selected for formulating infant feeds, varieties with lower carbohydrate, low fat and high crude fibre (IT90K-277-2) would be desirable in making meals for diabetic patients

Performance of semideterminate and indeterminate cowpeas relaycropped into maize in Northeast Nigeria

Field trials were conducted in 2005 and 2006 in Tilla (northern Guinea savanna) and Sabon-Gari (Sudan savanna) in northeast Nigeria to determine the performance of two improved cowpea varieties when relay-intercropped with early and late maize, 6 and 8 weeks after planting the maize. Grain yield, number of branches and number of pods per plant were higher for the variety IT89KD-288 than for IT97K-499-35, whether planted sole or relay-intercropped with maize. Grain yield was lower for IT97K-499-35 than for IT89KD-288 when relay-intercropped with maize irrespective of the maturity period of the companion maize crop. This may be due to the indeterminate growth habit and shade tolerance of IT89KD-288 which allowed a higher pod load than IT97K-499-35. However, relay-intercropping with early maize gave higher yield than relay-intercropping into late maize. Also relay-intercropping at 6 weeks after planting maize (WAP) gave a higher yield than relay-intercropping at 8 WAP. This therefore, suggests that introducing cowpea into short statured early maize may mean less competition for light and soil resources compared to taller late maize. Also introducing the cowpea earlier may allow the crop to make full use of soil moisture during the cropping season