Effects of Planting Time and Poultry Manure on Late Season Plaintain Establishment and Yield in Owerri Rainforest Zone of Nigeria

In rainfed agriculture, plantain availability to consumer is seasonal. Late season plantain planting with appropriate organic manure application has been one of the advocated solutions. This experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Technology Teaching and Research  farm, Owerri in 2010 late season planting to determine the  appropriate time of planting and optimum manure rate that will enhance late season plantain establishment and bunch availability in the tropical rainforest. The experiment was a 3x4 factorial fitted into a randomized complete block design replicated three times. The treatments were three late season months (5th September, 5th October and 5thNovember) and four poultry manure rates (0,4,8 and 12 t.ha-1). The pre and post soil, establishment, growth and yield data were collected and analysed statistically.  The post soil chemical analysis showed an improvement on soil pH,(5.30-6.07, 5.59-5.67 and 5.73-5.72), organic matter,(2.098-2.098, 2.476-2.373 and 2.240-2.201%) calcium,(7.03-10.20, 3.60-6.40 and 5.40-5.70 l/kg) organic carbon,(1.696-1.217, 1.436-1.377 and1.436-1.277%)  phosphorous (21.39-20.86, 20.20-18.80 and14.60-13.90ppm)  and  magnesium (0.67-2.00, 0.83-1.17 and 0.83-1.00CMOL) in the treatment that received 8 and12 t ha-1 poultry manure in September, October and November planting respectively..  The residual effect of poultry manure resulted in increased yield (8.6, 7.2 and 7.0kg)  of the first ratoon crop in September, October, and November planting that received 12t ha-1poultry manure respectively.  Although poultry manure rates enhanced plantain establishment, growth and yield when planted in September, October and November, plantain planted  in September and manured with 12 t ha-1 poultry manure significantly(p=0.05) enhanced plantain establishment,(100%) ,yield (9.2kg in plant crop,8.6 first ratoon) and  income return (N 7,135,,501.8/ha) in Owerri Rainforest zone of Nigeria. Keywords: Planting time,  poultry manure, late season plantain, production, humid tropics

Organic Matter Management for Sustainable Tropical Crop Production.

Organic matter exerts a profound influence on crop nutrition, soil structure and cultivation.  Healthy soil is the foundation of the food system. It produces healthy crops that in turn nourish people. Maintaining a healthy soil demands care and effort from farmers of which organic matter management is viewed as central to the finest scale approaches used to assess the sustainability of soil systems. Nutrient exchanges   between organic matter, water and soil are essential to soil fertility and need to be maintained for sustainable production purposes  Agricultural development and production is sustainable when it is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, culturally appropriate, humane and based on a holistic scientific approach. This means that sustainable agriculture and rural development including forestry and fisheries must meet the nutritional requirements and other human needs of present and future generations, provide durable and decent employment and where possible enhance the productivity and regenerative capacity of the natural resource base, reduce vulnerability and strengthen self reliance.   It is obvious and  certain that where the soil is exploited for crop production without restoring the organic matter and nutrient content of the soil and maintaining a good structure, the nutrient cycles are broken, soil fertility declines and the balance in the agro-ecosystem is destroyed.

Hypertensive disorders in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the ESC EORP PPCM Registry

Aims: Hypertensive disorders occur in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). How often hypertensive disorders co-exist, and to what extent they impact outcomes, is less clear. We describe differences in phenotype and outcomes in women with PPCM with and without hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: The European Society of Cardiology PPCM Registry enrolled women with PPCM from 2012-2018. Three groups were examined: 1) women without hypertension (‘PPCM-noHTN’); 2) women with hypertension but without pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-HTN’); 3) women with pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-PE’). Maternal (6-month) and neonatal outcomes were compared. Results: Of 735 women included, 452 (61.5%) had PPCM-noHTN, 99 (13.5%) had PPCM-HTN and 184 (25.0%) had PPCM-PE. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had more severe symptoms (NYHA IV in 44.4% and 29.9%, p<0.001), more frequent signs of heart failure (pulmonary rales in 70.7% and 55.4%, p=0.002), higher baseline LVEF (32.7% and 30.7%, p=0.005) and smaller left ventricular end diastolic diameter (57.4mm [±6.7] and 59.8mm [±8.1], p<0.001). There were no differences in the frequencies of death from any cause, re-hospitalization for any cause, stroke, or thromboembolic events. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had a greater likelihood of left ventricular recovery (LVEF≥50%) (adjusted OR 2.08 95% CI 1.21-3.57) and an adverse neonatal outcome (composite of termination, miscarriage, low birth weight or neonatal death) (adjusted OR 2.84 95% CI 1.66-4.87). Conclusion: Differences exist in phenotype, recovery of cardiac function and neonatal outcomes according to hypertensive status in women with PPCM