Effect of intercropping and soil amendment on the population dynamics of major pests and natural enemies of white cabbage

Cabbage is an important exotic vegetable widely grown in Ghana. Despite its importance, cabbage production is constrained by insect pests attack, with the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. and the Indian mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi pseudobrassicae (Davis) as the most important. A field trial was conducted at the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, Kpong, in Ghana, during the major and minor rainy seasons of 2013 to study the effect of intercropping and soil amendment on the incidence of these key pests, their natural enemies and the yield of crop. The field was laid out as a split-plot design with soil amendment (biochar from rice husk, poultry manure and their combination) as the main plot and cropping system (sole cabbage, sole onion and cabbage-onion intercrop) as sub-plots. Multiple head formation was higher in sole cabbage plots than cabbage intercropped with onion. Similarly, sole cabbage plots supported a higher number of DBM larvae than cabbage intercropped with onion. Cabbage planted on soils without amendment, generally supported a fewer number of DBM larvae and natural enemies than the amended soils. The effect of the different treatments on the aphids population was not significant. The intercrop had the highest number of beneficial insects. The effect of soil amendment on the yield of cabbage and onion was significant with poultry manure plots recording the highest yield. The effect of cropping system was also significant on the yield of onion, with sole onion obtaining higher yields than onion intercropped with cabbage. The use of soil amendment also significantly improved the soil chemical and physical properties. Intercropping and soil amendment, therefore, have a lot of potential in sustainable vegetable production

Response Of Three Forage Legumes To Soil Moisture Stress

Plants of Centrosema pubescens, Lablab purpureus and Stylosanthes guianensis grown sepa-rately in pots under green house conditions, were subjected to moisture stress conditions of 100, 75, 50, and 25% field capacity (FC) and the effect on plant growth characteristics assessed. Soil moisture stress significantly reduced plant height, shoot and root dry weights, particularly in Lablab and Stylosanthes. Root/shoot ratio on the other hand increased as soil moisture regime decreased. A change in moisture stress from 100 to 25 % FC reduced nodule numbers by 37, 19 and 9 % in Lablab, Stylosanthes and Centrosema respectively and decreased nitrogen fixed by 32, 9, and 0.4 % in Stylosanthes, Lablab and Centrosema respectively. The mean P content of the plants decreased with decreasing soil moisture content while, that of K increased as moisture stress increased. The overall plant performance pointed to Centrosema as a more favoured for-age plant for dry environments .Keywords: Crop productivity, legumes, food security, water use efficienc

British political expansion in India 1811-1844 : a study of a quest for imperial security

I owe this work to an Award made to me by the Commonwealth Government of Australia under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan. My sincere thanks are due to Mr. G. O'Regan of the Commonwealth Office of Education, Sydney, who handled all matters relating to my studies and welfare with zeal, understanding and efficiency. I am indebted to Dr. Ravinder Kumar, my Supervisor, who not only read through my work and offered valuable criticism and advice, but also made the Poona Residency Correspondence available to me. I thank Mr. G. F. Fairbairn for his useful comments and suggestions, Miss P. Romans of the Department of History and the staff of the General Studies Library for their services. Finally, I extend my special thanks to Professor C. M. H. Clark and Professor K. S. Inglis for their assistance in diverse ways, particularly for the personal interest they showed in my progress and welfare

Neem as a cost-effective and potent biopesticide against the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and the cabbage webworm Hellula undalis F. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Cabbage is an important cash crop to the resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and offers a good source of vitamins and minerals. The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. and the cabbage webworm, Hellula undalis F. are major pests causing significant losses to brassica crops worldwide. During the major and minor seasons of 2015, an experiment was carried out at the University of Ghana Soil and Irrigation Research Centre (SIREC), Kpong to determine the effect of some pesticides (synthetic insecticides-chlorpyrifos and lambda-cyhalothrin, botanicals - hot pepper fruit extract, aqueous neem seed extract, local insecticidal soap - ‘alata samina’ and water as control) in controlling the diamondback moth and the cabbage webworm on cabbage. Cabbage seedlings were transplanted onto 3m x 3m plots, and plots were labelled by randomly assigning treatments to them. The experiment was laid out in a complete randomised block design, consisting of six treatments in three replications. Treatments were applied weekly, two weeks after transplanting and data on the population of the diamondback moth and the cabbage webworm, multiple head formation were collected weekly. At the end of each season the resulting yield was assessed for marketability, and cost benefit analysis carried out to determine the cost: benefit ratio. The results revealed that the highest population of the diamondback moth was recorded in the plots sprayed with chlorpyrifos and lambda-cyhalothrin, with neem recording the least number of diamondback moth and cabbage webworm populations. The highest marketable yield of 13.82t/ha and 28.36t/ha was recorded for the neem sprayed plots with a cost: benefit ratio of 1:48.6 and 1:137.1 for both seasons, respectively, followed by pepper extract (3.92t/ha, 1:10.5) for the major season and ‘alata samina’ (8.86t/ha, 1:36.4) for the minor season. The aqueous neem seed extract can be used by resource-poor farmers in Ghana as the most cost-effective biopesticide against the diamondback moth and the webworm on cabbage

Body Marking As Identification among the Dangmes in Ghana

Body marking is an intangible and a sensitive cultural variable in Ghana. Unfortunately, most individuals do not want to associate themselves with people who have body marks. This obvious misunderstanding of the art has led to stigmatization of the bearers of these marks. Body markings have been used as a form of identification among many cultures through several generations, Ghana has a rich culture of body marking among the various ethnic groups practice it, yet; the purpose and connotations of these marks have not been uncovered in certain parts of the country. As the study is centered on identification, it will help recognize the cultural identity of the nation by comprehending and embracing the custom of the various ethnic groups of Ghana where the need be. This research is therefore geared towards understanding the purposes and reasons for making body marks. Symbolic and interpretative anthropology and diffusionism were the theories that guided the study and are explained as such. Three ethnic groups from Ga-Dangme were selected for the study and these are Ningo, Prampram and Ada. The qualitative research method was used, with interviews and observations being the main form of data collection instruments. Out of the overall accessible population of 90 respondents, a sample size of 60 was purposively selected based on their knowledge on the subject matter. The results of the study showed that there are different body marks that are made for different cultural reasons. Keywords: Body marks, identification, scarification, cultural interpretatio

Effect of site characteristics on the productivity and economic returns from cassava legume intercropping in Ghana

In a 2-year field study, cassava was intercropped with four legumes (cowpea, pigeon pea, soyabean and Stylosanthes at three locations with different soil and environmental conditions, to determine the effect of site characteristics on the agronomic and economic advantage of the intercrop. The trial was a factorial experiment in a split plot design with three replications. A cost benefit analysis was conducted for the trial on the different crop arrangements. Root yield of cassava in the mixed cassava legume treatment across location during the first year was significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the stripped treatment. Root yield of cassava cowpea mixed intercrop for example ranged from 38 to 88 t/ha. In the second year however, considerable variations were observed among the treatments with NPK treatment giving the highest yield of 84 t/ha. This influenced the overall economic net benefits and showed that the intercrop advantage depended on the interaction of component crops, the growth environment and to some extent agronomic manipulations, suggesting that the best combination of crops under a particular system of management in one environment with a particular set of climate and soil conditions may not necessarily be suitable in another environment

On farm evaluation of the contribution of three green manures to maize yield in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana

Low soil fertility is one of the major factors responsible for low crop yields on small-scale farms in Africa. The use of Chromolaena odorata, Crotalaria juncea and Panicum maximum and their combination with NPK for improving soil fertility and maize yield was investigated in the semideciduous forest zone of Ghana. Each plant material was applied at two application rates, 1 and 3 t ha-1. The field design was a randomized complete block with three replications. The plant materials caused an initial immobilization of nutrients which negatively affected maize grain yield in the major season. The plant materials plus N45P30K60 however, was able to provide nutrients that were sufficient to increase maize yields by over 85% relative to the control for the two consecutive seasons. N90P60K60 application alone produced the highest grain yield of 4.65 t ha-1 in the major season but less so in the minor season. Maize grain yield was not influenced by the quantity of plant materials application but was higher during the minor season than in the major season. The results of the study provide soil fertility management options for sustainable food production in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. Key words: Fertilizer, maize, organic residues, soil fertility

Manure Management, Quality and Mineralization for Sustaining Smallholder Livelihoods in The Upper East Region of Ghana

A survey was conducted in the Upper East region of Ghana to seek information on the fertility status of the soils, manure production, its management options and nutrient concentration that could be associated with quality. Analysis of soils from farmers’ fields showed that the soils are coarse textured, with low exchange capacity and organic matter contents. Available P in particular was very low with most of the soils having values less than 6.00 ppm. Four main types of cattle rearing systems were encountered; the field, kraal, compound and intensive. Fresh manure samples from each of these systems were collected air dried and analysed in the laboratory using standard protocols. The N and P contents of the manure ranged from 0.52 % to 1.14 %, and 0.28 % to 0.76 % respectively, which were below the critical levels for net mineralization. Polyphenol contents on the other hand were lower than the critical value of 4 %. Decomposition and nutrient release of the manure showed immobilization of total N during the first four weeks, suggesting the need to improve the quality by composting or applying it in combination with mineral fertilizers.Keywords: Crop production, fertilizer value, nutrient release, soil fertility

Optimizing Biomedical Discoveries as an Engine of Culture Change in an Academic Medical Center

Academic discovery in biomedicine is a growing enterprise with tens of billions of dollars in research funding available to universities and hospitals. Protecting and optimizing the resultant intellectual property is required in order for the discoveries to have an impact on society. To achieve that, institutions must create a multidisciplinary, collaborative system of review and support, and utilize connections to industry partners. In this study, we outline the efforts of Case Western Reserve University, coordinated through its Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC), to promote entrepreneurial culture, and achieve goals of product development and startup formation for biomedical and population health discoveries arising from the academic ecosystem in Cleveland. The CTSC Office of Translation and Innovation, with the university’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO), helps identify and derisk promising IP while building interdisciplinary project teams to optimize the assets through key preclinical derisking steps. The benefits of coordinating funding across multiple programs, assuring dedicated project management to oversee optimizing the IP, and ensuring training to help improve proposals and encourage an entrepreneurial culture, are discussed in the context of a case study of therapeutic assets, the Council to Advance Human Health. This case study highlights best practices in academic innovation