Effects of tillage operations and plant density on leaf spot disease severity and grain yield of maize in ultisols

Two seasons experiments conducted in 2002 and 2003 revealed that Tillage operations significantly influenced leafspot disease severity; Percentage lodging 3.14; 2.08 and Grain yield 3.02; 3.84 in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Plant density also had significant difference on leafspot disease severity; Percentage lodging 4.82, 3.16 and Grain yield 4.00; 4.18 in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Spot tillage recorded low leafspot disease severity 0.94; 1.02 in comparison with Strip tillage 1.18; 1.30 when zero tillage (control) 2.28; 2.77 were high. 53,000 plants/ha recorded high leafspot disease severity 1.84, 1.95 in comparison with 26,666 plants/ha 1.05, 1.14 when 17,777 plants/ha 0.92; 1.00 were low in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Spot tillage recorded significantly highest grain yield 4.35; 4.72 tons/ha followed by strip 3.82; 4.02; when zero tillage 3.20; 3.66 were lowest. 53,000 plants/ha recorded high grain yield 4.51; 4.30 tons/ha in comparison with 26,666 plants/ha 2.48; 1.10 when 17,777 plants/ha 2.02; 1.95 were low in 2002 and 2003 respectively. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(1) 2006: 33-3

Indigenous Technologies for Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

The sub-Saharan Africa have experienced the negative impacts of climate change namely: drought, desertification, flooding, sea level rise, high temperatures, land degradation, biodiversity and ecosystem degradation, famine, intensive rainfall and reduced crop yields. Past global efforts at dealing with the impact of climate change was based on mitigation aimed at carbon sequestration. This was followed by adaptation which was seen as a viable option to reduce the vulnerability of the anticipated negative impacts of global warming. However adaptation and mitigation should not be pursued separately. The resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have developed their unique capacity to think, adapt to change in their environment, forecast, accumulate and pass on intellectual wealth to subsequent generations through indigenous knowledge. Farmers in Africa have developed and implemented sustainable adaptation and mitigation technologies which successfully reduced their vulnerability to the climate impact using local ecological knowledge. Such technologies include changing of planting dates, cover-cropping, agro-forestry systems, use of local species of crops and livestock that adapt to the environment, regenerative agricultural practices, ability to forecast the weather for use in planning their cropping seasons, use of zero tillage and conservation agriculture, mulching, use of emergency fodder in times of drought and eco-farming systems that adapt and mitigate climate change impacts. These indigenous technologies are sustainable, culturally acceptable and environmentally friendly. The challenge is thus for various stakeholders and policy-makers to recognize and integrate these local adaptation and mitigation strategies into planning, research and environmental policy needed for tackling climate change scourge in sub-Saharan Africa which is already facing various problems such as poverty, population growth and food insecurity

Management of Podrot, Oil Content, and Pod Weight of Benniseed in an Ultisols

Benniseed (Sesanum indicum L) is a well known oilÐseed crop grown mostly in the Savannah areas of Nigeria, and with little cultivation in the forest south. A two-season experiment was conducted in 1997 and 1998 to determine the effect of plant population and nitrogen application on podrot, oil content and pod weight of benniseed in the rain forest belt of Nigerian. Analysis of variance indicated that only the podrot and oil content were affected by plant population. An increase of 15.6% and 16.2% in oil content was recorded when plant population increase from 111,111, to 250,000 plants/ ha recorded list podrot 2.02; 2.30 in 1st and 2nd seasons while 60kg/ha recorded lowest podrot 2.59; 2.63 in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The 0kg/ha (control) recorded highest podrot 3.14; 3.46 in 1997 and 1998, respectively. An increase of 15.6% and 16.2% oil company was recorded when plant population increased from 111,111 to 250,000 plants/ha in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. Further increase from 62,500 to 111,111 resulted to further increase of 4.6 and 5.2 in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively. The 9kg is highly significant on podrot (

Integrated pest management (IPM) and good agricultural practices (GAP) in relation to food security: need for government policy for successful implementation

Agricultural development is caught between increased competition accompanied by decreasing prices, land degradation and concerns for sustainability, environment, safe food and animal / human health. Pesticides have been around in some form or another for centuries and have posed a lot of harm to our crops, environment and animals over the years. The increased environmental and public health awareness and the need to implement sustainable agricultural production systems have discouraged the injudicious use of pesticides. Integrated pest management (IPM) and Good agricultural practices (GAP) aims to minimise the use of chemical pesticides and to ensure an integration of various control measures in an informal manner without harmful effects on the environment and occupational and public health. Decision makers in developing countries have to find an appropriate balance between a careful reversal of proactive pesticide support in the traditional agricultural development agenda, which nevertheles does not endanger food security and rural development objectives. For a successful implementation of IPM and GAP, government policy on agricultural development need to provide financial resources for their continual development. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(1) 2006: 80-8

Field Evaluation of Various Plant Biocides in the Control of Black Sigatoka Disease in Plantians

A field experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Teaching and Research Farm, Owerri in 2005 to evaluate the efficiency of using seven plant biocides (extracts) in the control of Black Sigatola disease in plantains. The experiment was carried out using the randomized complete block design with three replications. The Treatments include: Azadiractha indica (neem plant), Vernonia amygdlina (Bitter leaf) Ocimum gratissium (Nchanwu) Pergularia sp (utazi) Allium sativum (garlic), Citrus aurantifolia (lime) and Piper guinensis. (African Black Pepper). Data on disease development and efficacy of each plant biocide were collected at flowering on 5 plants of maturity per plot using the youngest leaf spotted (YLS) method. The proportion of the leaf area showing symptoms was scored on a scale of 0 to 6. A disease severity index (DSI) which also had a low DSI was also calculated were analyzed using the analysis of variance. Pair-wise testing between means was done using the Duncan New multiple range test at 5% level of probability. Results indicated that the ethanol extracts of plant biocides from Azadiractha indica and Piper guinensis were significantly (P. = 0.05) more effective than other plant biocides as observed from the youngest leaf spotted (YLS) assessed at flowering after 8 spray applications. The DSI recorded two weeks before harvest has 1.6 for Azadiractha indica and 0.8 for Piper guinensis which confirmed results from the YLS assessment. It is hereby strongly recommended to apply ethanol extract sprays of Azadiractha indica and Piper guinensis extracted at the rate of 20g plant material dissolved in 100ml ethanol due to its high level of fungitoxic ability on Black Sigatoka disease in plantains. It was also observed that ethanol extract of plant materials was more effective and efficacious in fungitoxic ability than the water extracts respectively