Cost Return Analysis of Cocoyam Production at NRCRI, Umudike

A cost return analysis of cocoyam production at the National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike showed that the enterprise is profitable. Labour constituted about 50% of total variable cost of production, which is the most important resource in cocoyam enterprise. A hectare cost of cocoyam production was N140, 114 while total revenue was N257, 400 and net return was N117, 286. The study showed that small-holder cocoyam enterprise is profitable by returning N1.27 for every N1.00 spent.Cost Returns and Cocoyam

Effect of multiple subcultures on Musa shoots derived from cassava starch-gelled multiplication medium during micropropagation

Shoot tip explants excised from in vitro plantlets of two Musa genotypes (TM3X 15108-6 and TMBX 612-74) were seeded singly into test tubes containing twenty milliliters each of Musa multiplication mediumgelled differently in 60 and 70 gL-l cassava starch as well as 5 gL-l agar and placed on shelves under 14 h photo period (30-40 ìmole m-2 S-1) supplied by white fluorescent tubes. Temperatures weremaintained at 27 ± 2oC. Monthly subcultures were carried out by separating shoot clusters developed from each explant into individual shoots and each shoot trimmed down and re-cultured as a shoot tipunder the same conditions. This process was repeated for four months after which well formed shoots were subsequently transferred into a rooting medium. Cultured shoot tips grew and multiplied in thedifferently gelled medium. Shoots derived from starch-gelled medium after several subcultures became less robust than those grown on agar medium. This tendency for reduced robustness over timeincreased with increase in starch concentration in the medium and was more acute in TMBX 612-74 than TM3X 15108-6. Shoot water content after the fourth subculture revealed that shoots derived fromagar-gelled medium had significantly (P=0.05) higher water content compared to shoots derived from starch gelled medium. This phenomenon must probably, is related to the availability of absorbablewater in the differently gelled medium

Cyber warfare: African research must address emerging reality

This thematic report sets out the case for why studies in cyber security and cyber conflict need to be prominent in the African digital transformation research agenda.CA2016www.wits.ac.za/linkcentre/aji

Obligations of trust for privacy and confidentiality in distributed transactions

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a bilateral symmetric approach to authorization, privacy protection and obligation enforcement in distributed transactions. The authors introduce the concept of the obligation of trust (OoT) protocol as a privacy assurance and authorization mechanism that is built upon the XACML standard. The OoT allows two communicating parties to dynamically exchange their privacy and authorization requirements and capabilities, which the authors term a notification of obligation (NoB), as well as their commitments to fulfilling each other's requirements, which the authors term signed acceptance of obligations (SAO). The authors seek to describe some applicability of these concepts and to show how they can be integrated into distributed authorization systems for stricter privacy and confidentiality control. Design/methodology/approach – Existing access control and privacy protection systems are typically unilateral and provider-centric, in that the enterprise service provider assigns the access rights, makes the access control decisions, and determines the privacy policy. There is no negotiation between the client and the service provider about which access control or privacy policy to use. The authors adopt a symmetric, more user-centric approach to privacy protection and authorization, which treats the client and service provider as peers, in which both can stipulate their requirements and capabilities, and hence negotiate terms which are equally acceptable to both parties. Findings – The authors demonstrate how the obligation of trust protocol can be used in a number of different scenarios to improve upon the mechanisms that are currently available today. Practical implications – This approach will serve to increase trust in distributed transactions since each communicating party receives a difficult to repudiate digitally signed acceptance of obligations, in a standard language (XACML), which can be automatically enforced by their respective computing machinery. Originality/value – The paper adds to current research in trust negotiation, privacy protection and authorization by combining all three together into one set of standardized protocols. Furthermore, by providing hard to repudiate signed acceptance of obligations messages, this strengthens the legal case of the injured party should a dispute arise

Small is Beautiful: Empirical Evidence of an Inverse Relationship between Farm Size and Productive Efficiency in Small-Holder Cassava Production in Ideato North LGA of Imo State

This study examined the relationship between farm size and technical efficiency in small holder cassava production in Ideato LGA of Imo state using data from a 2008 farm-level survey of 90 rural households. The study showed a strong inverse relationship between farm size and technical efficiency. Smaller farms are found to be more technically efficient, than larger farms. These results favour land redistribution policies targeted towards giving lands to the small-holder farmers. Policies of de-emphasizing cassava production in the estate sector while encouraging it in smallholdings will foster equity and efficiency.Farm Size, Productivity and Technical Efficiency

In vitro basal and nodal microtuberization in yam shoot cultures (Discorea rotundata poir, cv. Obiaoturugo) under nutritional stress conditions

Single nodal explants excised from vines of greenhouse-grown white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata poir cv Obiaoturugo) were initiated in vitro on a medium consisting of Murashige and Skoog’s (MS)basal salt supplemented with Gamborg’s B5 vitamins, 0.5 ìM benzylamino purine (BAP), 0.1 ìM naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 0.2 ìM gibberellic acid (GA3), 20 mgl-1 L-cysteine, 30 gl-1 sucrose andsolidified in 8 gl-1 agar. They were incubated for 14 months with regular monthly subculture under continuous illumination at 24 ± 1oC and 1000 lux light intensity. Subsequently, single and double leafedsegments from these were transferred to a simpler liquid medium made up of MS basal salts and vitamins, reduced sucrose level (20 gl-1) and without growth regulators. The cultures were kept stationary, and without subculture for 6 months at 27 ± 1oC, 16 h illumination and at 2000 – 2500 lux light intensity. The shoot cultures began to produce excessive roots at the nodes apart from the shoot tip. Subsequently microtubers developed at the position of the axiliary buds subtended by the leaf petiole as well as at the base of some shoots. On transfer whole or segmented into fresh medium, the microtubers sprouted and produced plantlets

Development of Gocken Multiplication Technology for Cocoyam

Low multiplication ratio of cocoyam {Colocasia esculenta (taro) and Xanthosoma mafafa (tannia)} and scarcity of planting materials are major constraints militating against sustainable cocoyam production. During harvesting and processing of cocoyam, very small cormels weighing about 7.0 g (micro cormels) and less are discarded as wastes. These ‘wastes’ usually sprout in the wet season to constitute environmental problem. The Gocken Multiplication Technology is a new technology developed at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria, for very rapid multiplication of cocoyam by recycling ‘wastes’ of cocoyam (≤7.0 g cormels) in cocoyam production. The technology utilizes a seed rate of about 0.35 - 0.45 t/ha compared to 1.0-2.0 t/ha currently in use. Total corm + cormel yield ranged from 7.34-15.5t/ha. Similarly, seed harvest multiplication ratio (SHMR) ranged from 19.0-39.0, while available yield ranged from 89.5-94.7 %. Economic analysis showed that the benefit cost ratio was 4.24:1.0, indicating that the technology is profitable by returning N4.24 to every N1.00 spent.Gocken; very rapid multiplication; technology and cocoyam

Appraisal of young farmers’ club programme in Abia state, Nigeria

This study appraised Young Farmers’ Clubs programme in secondary schools in Abia State. Data were collected using simple random sampling technique and structured interview schedule as instrument. Results showed that only a small proportion (about 27%) of the secondary schools had functional YFCs. Reasons for this situation were government, school authorities, agriculture teachers and student-related. The projects embarked upon by the YFCs were Agriculture, Home economics, Handicrafts, Educational and Managerial projects. The activities most frequently embarked upon by these clubs were crop production under Agriculture and food preparation under Home economics. The problems facing the YFCs in the state were related to the government, school authorities, agriculture teachers and students, with government-related problems predominating. It was recommended that government should create a fund similar to industrial training fund to provide logistic support to YFCs, and make mandatory the organization of YFCs programme in secondary schools.Key words: Young Farmers’ Clubs programme, secondary school