Evaluation of different irrigation methods in Chanchaga irrigation scheme, north central Nigeria

This study was aimed at evaluating different methods of irrigation based on parametric evaluation method for Chanchaga irrigation  scheme, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected at various rooting depths of 0-15 cm, 15-40 cm and 40-75 cm, the collected samples were  analysed for physical properties. Various suitability classes were generated for surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation methods using the capability index. The results revealed that the use of drip irrigation system for soil depths of 0-15 cm and 15 -40 cm within the study area were found to be suitable and not suitable for deep rooted areas of 40-75 cm. The sprinkler irrigation method was found to be suitable for study locations 3 and 4 at depths of 15-40 cm. At depths 40-75 cm, drip irrigation method was found suitable for locations 1, 2 and 5 while locations 3 and 4 supports the use of sprinkler irrigation method. It is therefore concluded that the sprinkler and drip irrigation methods are both highly favoured for irrigation purpose in the Chanchaga irrigation scheme

Fruit and Vegetable Crop Production in Nigeria: The Gains, Challenges and The Way Forward

The major fruits produced in Nigeria include mango, pineapple, plantain/banana, citrus, guava, pawpaw, while vegetables include onion, tomato, okra, pepper, amaranthus, carrot, melon, Corchorus olitorus (ewedu), Hibiscus sabdariffa (sobo), Adansonia digtata (baobab leaves) etc. In Nigeria, enormous quantities of fruits and vegetables are produced and staggering figures are sometimes given as estimated annual production .Fruits and vegetables play a very important role in the nutrition and health especially as they contain substances which regulate or stimulate digestion, act as laxatives or diuretics, pectins and phenoic compounds which play a part in regulating the pH of the intestines. Fruits and vegetables also contribute to the income of both the rural and urban dweller. The industrial potential of many fruits and vegetables available in Nigeria is enormous. What Nigerians need to do is embark on massive production of these fruits and vegetables not only for their high nutritive value but for enhancing the establishment of many processing industries. The development of their industrial uses will stimulate large scale production of the crops and enhanced diversification of entrepreneur to site processing plants in the rural areas which will improve the quality of life of the rural population and reduce the rate of rural-urban migration Fruits and vegetable production in Nigeria is a serious business because it provides a means of livelihood for some people and also play an important role in the improvement of the health of Nigerian

Bioconversion and yield evaluation of an edible mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivated on cassava and sugarcane peels with wheat bran

 This study describes the bioconversion efficiency and yield of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kummar cultivated on cassava and sugarcane peels substrates. Two percent lime and wheat bran were added to stabilize the pH and enrich the substrate with nitrogen. The treatments for this investigation comprised T1 (100% cassava peels - control), T2 (75% cassava peels + 25% sugar cane peel), T3 (50% cassava peels + 50% sugar cane peel), T4 (25% cassava peels + 75 sugar cane peel), and T5 (0% cassava peel + 100% sugar cane peel). The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated three times in a specially constructed growth chamber. Yield parameters evaluated include mean mushroom weight in grams, mean number of mushrooms, stipe length (cm), pileus diameter (cm), dry weight of fruit bodies (g), dry matter loss (%), biological efficiency (%), bioconversion efficiency (%), and number of mushroom flushes. The nutritional composition of the fruit bodies was determined.  The result obtained from the evaluation of the yield  attributes  revealed significant differences in the following yield parameters namely mean mushroom weight  (2.63–32.8 g), mean number of mushroom (1–11.5), pileus diameter (2.56–15.95 cm), length of stipe (1.53–5.85 cm), dry matter loss (23.30–157.5%), dry weight of fruit bodies (0.76–6.67 g), stipe girth (1.3-8.0 cm), biological efficiency (0.26–3.28%), bioconversion efficiency (0.11–0.68%), mean number of mushroom flushes (0.67–2.0) and yield duration (25.67–41.0 days).The result further revealed significant differences in the nutritional compositions of the mushroom fruit bodies: moisture content (20.30–25.07%), crude fiber (1.05–1.27%),ash (0.89–1.01%),  protein (30.7–44.38%),crude fat (1.62–1.83%), total soluble carbohydrate (TSC) (28.87–44.18%). The 15.8%, 31.5%, 47.4% and 5.3% of the total mushroom fruit bodies harvested belonged to the ‘very small’, ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘very big’ categories, respectively. T5 was the outstanding in supporting the colonization, yield and bioconversion efficiency of P. ostreatus. This study concludes that P. ostreatus should not be cultivated on cassava peels alone. Supplementing the sugarcane peels with cassava peels increases the protein content of the fruit bodies.&nbsp

Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass-loss rate and stabilisation

The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large-scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization factors of plant-derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy-to-degrade components accumulate during early-stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass-loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early-stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models

A scheduling model in capturing methane gas from methane clathrates deposits

The execution of any project type, especially engineering-based projects, is usually time-based, efficiency-driven, and cost-effective. These factors are the deterministic parameters that engineer successful project completion. The application of scheduling models remains the best technique for achieving these three factors to their best degrees. Therefore, this study was centered on the impact study of applying the scheduling model in harvesting methane gas from methane clathrates deposits. Various data on gas hydrate reserves in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria were collected from relevant literature, studied, and analyzed. Such data includes the pictorial representation and description of the gas hydrate site in the Niger Delta region of Africa and various shapes and sizes of gas hydrate perimeters in the studied region positions of the gas reserves. The normal faults are projected on a bathymetric map of the study area and the bathymetric map of the Pockmark (with the stippled black line indicating the sea floor projection of a prominent N-S trending fracture in 3-D seismic data). As a type of scheduling model, the critical path method (CPM) was applied to develop the project’s work sequence using the activity on node (AON) architectural technique and Primavera P6 software after carefully identifying the primary operations involved in the project and their respective sub-operations or work breakdown structure (WBS). The risks associated with each operation were meticulously identified, with their consequent impact and exposure matrix determined using probabilistic measures of 1-5 according to the degree of the risk. Mitigation strategies were recommended for all the identified risks. The cost benefits of the project were X-rayed using parameters such as net present value (NPV), project payback time, internal rate of return (IRR), and net cumulative cash flow. From the results obtained, the CPM schedule showed that the project execution would last approximately ten months. All the operations involved in the project execution plan were all critical, proving that each activity should be completed within the scheduled run period. Else, the entire project would be affected. Also, risks with a high exposure matrix of 25, 12, and 4 were mitigated to 5, 3, and 0 using the recommended strategies. In addition, the project yielded an NPV of $20,736,951.04 for the run period of 22 years after the execution of the project, IRR of 14 %, and a payback time of 8 years (adding 2023- the year of project execution) provided the daily production rate is maintained within 60,000-65,000 MSCF/day. The cash flow and payback time will decrease if the daily production rate increases. Therefore, the application of CPM in extracting methane gas from gas hydrates positively affected the operation through the vivid insights provided in workflow pattern/methodology risks effects and cost benefits