PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE/SORGHUM INTERCROP AS INFLUENCED BY COMPONENT CROP DENSITY AND ARRANGEMENT

Productivity of maize-sorghum mixture was examined at two crop densities and four crop arrangementpatterns of the component crops in the northern guinea savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Thestudy aimed at determining the appropriate crop density and arrangements for obtaining desirableyields of sorghum cv. SAMSORG 14 and maize cv. TZESRW. The crop density by arrangement interactioneffect on all parameters measured was not significant. Establishment of the mixture componentsat full sole crop density generally increased sorghum grain and stover yields but decreasedmaize cob weight per plant and sorghum panicle weight per plant as compared to growing the componentsat half sole crop density. Although maize stover yield was also increased by full sole crop density,the grain yield was not significantly affected. Sorghum appeared to be more competitive in themixture than maize and seemed to have benefitted more from the association, particularly when it wasarranged at closer proximity to maize. Cultivating the components in alternate single rows acrossridges appeared promising, but alternate double ridge arrangement tended to reduce yield advantageas compared to alternate single ridge and alternate stands along and across ridge

EFFECT OF INTERCROPPING ON SOIL HYDRO-THERMAL REGIME, CROP PERFORMANCE AND WEED SITUATION IN A CASSAVA/OKRA INTERCROP

Experiments were conducted in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria to evaluate the effect of intercropping okra with cassava (Cv. Odongbo Idileru and TMS 30572) on soil hydrothermal regime, weed control, crop growth and yields. Treatments were randomized within three blocks in a split-plot design. Main plot was cropping system and subplot was cassava variety. Intercropping of cassava with okra significantly reduced the soil temperature by 2-7 % and weeds biomass by 60-76 %, and increased soil moisture content by 8-21 % and light interception by 16 % compared with sole cassava. Number of surface earthworm casts was 176 % higher than in sole okra. Intercropping with cassava did not significantly affect the vegetative characters, number of days to flowering and harvesting and harvest duration of okra, irrespective of the cassava cultivars. Vegetative characters and tuber yield of cassava were also not significantly affected by intercropping with okra.  Tuber yield of Cv. Odongbo’ was significantly reduced by 15-21% than Idileru, and 31-35% than TMS 30572. Yield advantage of intercropping increased by 78-114% compared to sole cropping. It is concluded that okra can be grown in mixture with cassava to provide a suitable environment for growth, but this depends on the cassava cultivar. Using a short early maturing cassava cultivar, with a moderate leaf area index in a mixture with okra is therefore recommended.Â

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INCOME AND POVERTY STATUS OF WOMEN IN KOKORO (CORN SNACK) PRODUCTION AND ARABLE CROPS PRODUCTION IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The study analyzed the poverty status of women producing Kokoro (Corn snack) and women producing arable crops in Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 208 respondents made up of 106 women producing Kokoro (Corn snack) and 102 women producing arable crops to serve as control group were selected. The respondents were selected based on non- probability method. Purposive sampling technique with Snowball method was used. Data were obtained by structured interview schedule. Data collected were analysed using FGT poverty index, costs and return and t-test statistics. The results indicated that 34.9kg of maize were processed into 128 dozens of Kokoro (Corn snack) per production run over an average of five (5) days, with six (6) production runs per month for nine months for the period of the research. The mean Kokoro (Corn snack) production cost was N42, 769.41/ respondent/ month with average revenue of N92, 253.60/ respondent/ month and net income of N49, 484.19/ respondent/ month. Income from Kokoro (Corn snack) production accounted for 53.4% of the total household income of N721,323.67 of an average woman engaged in Kokoro (Corn snack) production while farm income  accounted for 67.9% of the total household income of N418, 935.10 of an average woman producing arable crops. The study also revealed that households of Kokoro (Corn snack) producers had mean per capita household income of N282.32 per person per day which was significantly higher (p<0.01) than those of women producing arable crops, N191.29 per person per day. Thus Kokoro (Corn snack) production has the potentials to enhance income and reduce poverty among households of rural women. The study thus recommends promotion of value- adding activities, such as maize processing into Kokoro as a means of enhancing income and reduces poverty among the rural folks.     &nbsp

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles in improved strain of Auricularia polytricha -an edible mushroom from Nigeria and its antimicrobial activities

Nano materials and their application are of great use in research because of their size range. In this study, Auricularia polytricha (EW1) collected from Benin in Southern Nigeria was subjected to mutation by exposure to UV-light resulting in a mutant (EW1M1). EW1 and EW1M1 were evaluated for biosynthesis of silver nano-particles. The anti-microbial properties of both strains were also evaluated. Absorption spectra of silver nano-particle (AgNPs) of mutant exhibited a strong broad peak at 420 nm while wild type absorption peak was obtained at less than 420 nm. The mutant was further characterised. DLS showed a monodispersion with diverse sizes, morphology and shapes. TEM micrograph revealed a monodispersed formation of the nano-particles, with uniform size at 10 – 20 nm. FTIR study revealed the absorption bands at 3380, 2921, 2839, 1658, 1083 and 610 cmֿ1 respectively showing the functional groups reducing the silver nitrate to silver ion. There was formation of zone of inhibition on all the microorganisms that were used for the study but the control showed no zone of inhibition. The mushroom extract of mutant strain exhibited higher anti microbial activity than the wild type

Low Cost Constant – Head Drip Irrigation Emitter for Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria: Engineering Design and Calibration

A low cost constant – head emitter for drip irrigation was developed using cheap and readily available materials as a substitute for the imported drip emitters which deter the adoption of drip irrigation in sub – Saharan Africa (SSA). The emitter was calibrated at both laboratory scale and on the field. The drip system comprises of abarrel, sub-main line, lateral lines, tubes and emitters, it can irrigate140 crop stands and can be extended to 560 stands. The emitters produced a mean discharge and emission uniformity (Eu) of 1.60l/hr. and 74 % respectively; while the calibrated manufacturer’s coefficient of variation and distribution uniformity of discharge were 0.098 and 86.3% respectively. The system operates under low pressure (87.9 mbar) and can deliver the daily crop water requirement of a crop like maize in 20 minutes; the overall system performance based on field calibration is generally satisfactory and show potential for improvement when compared with global standards for drip systems. The system’s low cost of N15, 870 ($79) gives it an edge over existing locally developed drip systems, the low technology and the use of locally available materials coupled with the water savings will enable famers to adapt to the impact of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa through the production of high value crops in the dry season.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i4.3

Characterization of callase (β-1,3-d-glucanase) activity during microsporogenesis in the sterile anthers of Allium sativum L. and the fertile anthers of A. atropurpureum

We examined callase activity in anthers of sterile Allium sativum (garlic) and fertile Allium atropurpureum. In A. sativum, a species that produces sterile pollen and propagates only vegetatively, callase was extracted from the thick walls of A. sativum microspore tetrads exhibited maximum activity at pH 4.8, and the corresponding in vivo values ranged from 4.5 to 5.0. Once microspores were released, in vitro callase activity peaked at three distinct pH values, reflecting the presence of three callase isoforms. One isoform, which was previously identified in the tetrad stage, displayed maximum activity at pH 4.8, and the remaining two isoforms, which were novel, were most active at pH 6.0 and 7.3. The corresponding in vivo values ranged from pH 4.75 to 6.0. In contrast, in A. atropurpureum, a sexually propagating species, three callase isoforms, active at pH 4.8–5.2, 6.1, and 7.3, were identified in samples of microsporangia that had released their microspores. The corresponding in vivo value for this plant was 5.9. The callose wall persists around A. sativum meiotic cells, whereas only one callase isoform, with an optimum activity of pH 4.8, is active in the acidic environment of the microsporangium. However, this isoform is degraded when the pH rises to 6.0 and two other callase isoforms, maximally active at pH 6.0 and 7.3, appear. Thus, factors that alter the pH of the microsporangium may indirectly affect the male gametophyte development by modulating the activity of callase and thereby regulating the degradation of the callose wall

Taxing times: taxation, divided societies and the informal economy in Northern Nigeria

This paper challenges the notion that taxing the informal economy provides a mechanism for increasing popular political voice and rebuilding the social contract. It contends that current arguments for taxing the informal economy suffer from a Eurocentric understanding of taxation and state formation, and a fiscally essentialist and undifferentiated notion of the informal economy. Drawing on fieldwork in northern Nigeria, this paper shows that history, gender, wealth and ethno-religious identity influence how taxing the informal economy shapes governance outcomes. Evidence from Nigeria suggests an inverse relationship between informal economy taxation and political voice, posing the risk that increased taxation will exacerbate social divisions rather than rebuild the social contract