SPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PASTURE AND RANGE MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW

This paper looked at practical ways in which pasture and range management (P&RM) can benefit from application of spatial technologies; namely Satellite Remote Sensing, Global Positioning System and Geographical Information Science. Brief mention of these spatial technologies’ components and ways of their integrations (linear, interactive, hierarchical and complex models) were discussed with specific reference to P&RM. The paper also dwells on salient principles of applied remote sensing and geospatial technics in P&RM using examples and case studies revolving around rangeland management, spatial decision support and resource conservation. Specifically, the relevance of hyper spectral imageries and vegetation indices in cattle population and range roaming determination, grazing land and paddock site-specific management were demonstrated. It is hoped that the review will create awareness for the inclusion and use of remote sensing and geospatial technics in many areas of livestock management in Nigeria.     &nbsp

Remediation of aqueous solution of cypermethrin and chlorpyriphos using derived adsorbent from Jatropha curcas

The study focused on assessment of removal of cypermethrin and chloropyriphos in aqueous solution using activated carbon made from Jatropha Curcas. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out under different conditions of parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration of the adsorbate on pesticide adsorption. The adsorption data were described by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption model. Adsorption capacity of 92.73% and 92.26% of chloropyriphos and cypermetrin respectively were removed by 2g of the adsorbent per 50 cm3 of initial concentration of 0.78 mg/l and 1.50 mg/l chloropyriphos and cypermetrin respectively .This was achieved at 90 min of the contact time and at optimum pH of 6.3.The study demonstrates that the activated carbon made from Jatropha Curcas can be effective in the adsorption of these two pesticides from water bodies. Equilibrium experiment results show that adsorption isotherms of cypermethrin and fit better to Freundlich adsorption isotherm while chloropyriphos fit better on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.Keywords: remediation, pesticides, Jatropha Curcas, cypermethrin, chloropyriphos, Langmuir and Freundlich equatio

Fodder yield and nutritive quality of haulm from dual-purpose cowpea cultivars for dry season livestock feeding in Nigeria

The availability of high quality forage, especially during the dry season remains a major challenge to ruminant livestock production in Nigeria and many parts of West Africa. This study was conducted to evaluate forage yield and nutritive quality of haulm from selected dual purpose cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) cultivars in the humid rain forest zone of Nigeria. The forage and pod yields of twenty cultivars were evaluated at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Subsequently, five dual-purpose cultivars, namely IT04K-334-2, IT07K-293-3, IT04K-194-3, IT04K-405-5, IT06K-147-2, were selected based on forage and pod yields from previous trial, for determination of chemical and fibre compositions. The results revealed significant (P<0.05) differences in pod and forage yields among the twenty cowpea cultivars, with yields ranging from 0-1.5 t ha-1 and 0.1-4.5 t ha-1 for pod and forage, respectively. Cultivars IT07K-293-3, IT04K-405-5, IT06K-147-2, IT07K-194-3, IT04K-334-2, IT04K-267-8 and IT04K-339-1 recorded the highest fodder yields of at least 2715 t ha-1, with crude protein contents ranging from 10.49% in IT07K-194-3 to 13 .57 % in IT04K-405-5. Cultivars IT07K-194-3, IT07K-293-3, IT07K-220-1-9, IT06K-147-2, IT07K-187-55IT04K-332-1 recorded the highest pod yields (>700 t ha-1). There were significant (P<0.05) differences in crude protein, ether extract and non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC) contents among five cultivars selected from the top ten high yielding cultivars, based on mean ranking score. These selected cultivars are recommended as dual-purpose cowpea for the humid forest zone.La disponibilit\ue9 de fourrage de la haute qualit\ue9, en particulier pendant la saison s\ue8che, reste un d\ue9fi majeur pour l\u2019\ue9levage de ruminants au Nigeria et dans de nombreuses r\ue9gions d\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Ouest. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 men\ue9e pour \ue9valuer le rendement de fourrage et la qualit\ue9 nutritive des fanes de cultivars s\ue9lectionn\ue9s de ni\ue9b\ue9 \ue0 double usage ( Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) dans la zone de for\ueat tropicale humide du Nigeria. Les rendements en fourrage et en gousse de vingt cultivars ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9s \ue0 la Ferme d\u2019Enseignement et de Recherche de l\u2019Universit\ue9 F\ue9d\ue9rale de Technologie, Owerri, \uc9tat d\u2019Imo, Nig\ue9ria. Les cinq cultivars \ue0 double usage \ue0 savoir IT04K-334-2, IT07K-293-3, IT04K-194-3, IT04K-405-5, IT06K-147-2 ont \ue9t\ue9 s\ue9lectionn\ue9s sur la base des rendements en fourrage et en gousse des essais pr\ue9c\ue9dents pour la d\ue9termination des compositions chimiques et des fibres. Les r\ue9sultats ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 des diff\ue9rences significatives (P<0,05) dans les rendements des gousses et du fourrage parmi les vingt cultivars de ni\ue9b\ue9, avec des rendements allant de 0-1,5 t ha-1 et 0,1-4,5 t ha-1 pour les gousses et le fourrage respectivement. Les cultivars IT07K-293-3, IT04K-405-5, IT06K-147-2, IT07K-194-3, IT04K-334-2, IT04K-267-8 et IT04K-339-1 ont enregistr\ue9 les rendements fourragers les plus \ue9lev\ue9s d\u2019au moins 2715 t ha-1 avec des teneurs en prot\ue9ines brutes allant de 10,49 % en IT07K-194-3 \ue0 13,57 % en IT04K-405-5. Les cultivars IT07K-194-3, IT07K-293-3, IT07K-220-1-9, IT06K-147-2, IT07K-187-55IT04K-332-1 ont enregistr\ue9 les rendements en gousses les plus \ue9lev\ue9s (>700 t ha-1). Il y avait des diff\ue9rences significatives (P<0,05) dans les teneurs en prot\ue9ines brutes, en extraits \ue9th\ue9r\ue9s et en glucides non fibreux (GNF) parmi cinq cultivars s\ue9lectionn\ue9s parmi les dix premiers cultivars \ue0 haut rendement, sur la base du score de classement moyen. Ces cultivars s\ue9lectionn\ue9s sont recommand\ue9s comme ni\ue9b\ue9 \ue0 double usage pour la zone de for\ueat humide

Effect of stocking rate on Rhodes grass-stylo pasture in the northern guinea savanna zone of Nigeria 2. pasture and sheep performance

Mixed pastures of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana cv. Callide) and Stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Cook) were evaluated at fi.ve slacking rate, 12, 18, 2 4, 3 0 and 36 rams/ha over five grazing periods at Shika, Nigeria. The pastures were continuously grazed for 154 to 210 days beginning from late rainy into dry season (August to April). Dry matter yields of stem, leaf stem + leaf of C gayana, green material and total herbage declined (P<0.01) as stocking rate and grazing days increased. However, the differences in yields of green material and leaf of C. lgayana at 24 and 30 rams/ha were not significant over the grazing periods. Daily live weight gain (g/head/d) was negatively and linearly related to stocking rate. Mean live weight gains at the lowest and highest stocking rates were + 52 and -1 g/head/d in the second grazing season and 62 and 24 g/head/d in the fifth grazing period. Mean live weight production/ha and optimum stocking rates (OSR) in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth grazing periods were: 61.2kg, 17.8 sheep/ha; 155.5kg; 20.4 sheep/ha; 186.2kg, 24.9 sheep/ha; 129.4kg, 21.2 sheep/ha and 200.2kg, 26.0 sheep/ha, respectively. A curvilinear relationship was obtained between live weight gain/ha and stocking rate. This study indicated that sheep at the highest and lowest stocking rates will need supplementary feeds after 100 and 128 days, respectively, if grazing commenced just before the end of the rain.Keywords: Stocking rate; sheep; live weight gains: herbage yields; rhodes grass; stylosanthe

Application of factorial analysis for quicklime production from limestone

Production of quicklime from limestone was investigated in this study. Two level Full Factorial Design has been employed to study the effect of different experimental variables on the production of quicklime. Two variables of calcinations temperature (800 oC and 1000 oC), calcinations time (30 mins and 60 mins) and limestone particle size (0.3 mm and 6 mm) were used to identify the significant effects and interactions in the limestone calcination batch studies. An empirical model has been developed using the experimental data. The results show that production of quicklime was strongly affected by the variations in calcinations temperature, calcinations time and limestone particle sizes. The factorial analysis also suggested that there is a significant interaction between calcination temperature and calcination time to produce quicklime of high yield and reactivity. The maximum quicklime quality yield of 94.97% was achieved when the production was carried out at 1000 °C, calcinations time of 30 minutes with limestone particle size of 0.3 mm. The result of Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 3.44% less than minimum of 15% obtained from the validation and confirmatory experiment shows that the regression is suitable for predicting the yield of quicklime from limestone.Keywords: limestone, quicklime, Full Factorial Design, Yield, Reactivit

Preweaning performance of Yankasa sheep under semi-intensive management

Preweaning growth traits and weaning rate of Yankasa sheep under a semi-intensive management system with twice-yearly lambings were studied for nine years at Shika, in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. Least squares means for birth weight (BW), 90-day weaning weight (WW), average daily gain to weaning (ADG) and weaning rate (WR) were 2.5± 0.01 kg, 10.87±0.08 kg, 91.86± 0.91 g/day and 77.8±1.0 per cent, respectively. BW, WW and ADG were significantly affected by parity and the lamb's litter size, sex, month and year of birth. WR was significantly affected by parity, litter size, month and year of birth but not by sex of lamb. Preweaning growth performance was generally better in the wet seasons than in the dry seasons while the reverse was true for weaning rate

Effect of storage place and storage period on nutritive quality of hay produced from three forage grasses

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of storage place and storage period on the proximate composition, in vitro gas production and post incubation parameters of hay produced from A. gayanus, B. decumbens and P. pedicellatum. The two storage places were in the room and in the shed while the storage periods were 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Results of this study showed that the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF) and ash of the hays produced from the three grasses were significantly affected (P<0.05) by the interactive effect of the storage place, storage period and species. Brachiariadecumbens produced higher (P<0.05) DM (99.50%) in the shed at 4 weeks of storage (WS) and a lower DM (86.20%) in the room at 12 WS. Ether extract of Andropogongayanus and B. decumbens significantly (P<0.05) differed at both storage places and at the three storage periods. Brachiariadecumbens produced higher (P<0.05) (14.50%) and lower (4.50%) EE contents in the room at 4 and 12 WS respectively. Similarly, ash contents of the hays significantly (p<0.05) ranged from 3.50% in the storage of B. decumbens in the shed for 12weeks to 36.33% for storing P. pedicellatum in the room for 4 WS. Cumulative in vitro gas production of the  grasses though similar (p>0.05) increased over the incubation periods. The post incubation parameters of the hays were all  similar (p>0.05), except the organic matter digestibility (OMD) values (p<0.05).It is concluded that the CP contents of the three grasses fell below ruminant requirement and slightly declined with increase in storage period, thereby suggesting earlier harvesting before the onset of dry season and serious  lignification. Andropogongayanus and B. decumbens proved to be better hays vis-avis storage in the shed, higher crude protein and dry matter contents while P.pedicellatum possessed better ash contents. Conclusively, it is more economical to store grass hays in the shed as there was no distinct difference in the results  obtained in the two storage places.Keywords: Grasses; Hay; Nutritive quality; Storage

On-farm improvement of milk yield in Bunaji cattle through legume supplementation

Legume supplementation of Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle owned by farmers in the Ungwan Fulani Inland Valley area of Zaria was studied with the objective of improving milk yield. The trial involved twenty-eight lactating cows in five herds whose average parity, age (as determined by dentition), Iiveweight, lactating length and daily milk yield were 2.3, 6.l years, 216.9 Kg, 5 months and 0.4 litres, respectively. After 3-6 weeks of supplementation, an increase in daily milk yield ranging from 0.3-2.1 litres was recorded, the differences between herds being highly significant (P0.01). It was concluded that a seven-fold increase in milk yield could be achieved through legume supplementation for six weeks in Bunaji cows. Higher increases could possibly be recorded if the supplementation period is extended