Responses of Upland NERICA Rice to Fertiliser Application and Fallow Management in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Benin Republic

Recent findings reported that introduction of legumes as an intercrop or in rotation to minimize external inputs can reverse the declining of soil fertility in upland rice agrosystem and so improve the productive capacity of farms. The objectives of the study were to assess (1) the effects of rotation of upland rice with other crops, of fertiliser application and of rice varieties on rice yield and (2) the interaction effects of rotation, fertiliser application and variety on rice production. An experiment was carried out from 2011 to 2012 in 2 zones in Benin Republic, West Africa. Three rice rotation treatments were established where in the year preceding rice cropping the following pre-crops were grown: (1) natural fallow regrowth (2) sole cowpea crop and (3) cowpea/maize intercrop. The following year, 3 NERICA varieties were cultivated in the three pre-crop treatments with and without fertiliser application. With respect to combined effect of NP mineral fertiliser and rotation, a consistent increase in rice yield over all varieties was only observed with maize-cowpea intercrop preceding rice in the Guinean zone. Improved fallow with cowpea combined with fertiliser was beneficial for NERICA 2 and NERICA 4 in the Sudano –Guinean zone and with NERICA 1 and NERICA 4 in the Guinean zone. Rice in rotation with maize-cowpea intercrop and in combination with NP mineral fertiliser can easily fit into the current smallholder farming systems under rain-fed conditions in the Guinean zone, but is not recommendable for the Sudano- Guinean zone

Impact Des Caractéristiques De La Végétation Sur La Diversité D’usages Des Plantes Autour De Deux Grandes Forêts Classées Et D’une Réserve Botanique Au Sud-Bénin

Southern-Benin has a mosaic of ecological conditions that have contributed to the development of its vast forest heritage. The combination of a number of parameters or indices (use value, diversity index, and equitability and citation frequency) is an effective way of identifying the most important plants for preservation. The objective was to carry out the checklist of the plants used around the classified forests of Ahozon and Lama and the botanical reserve of Pobè in Southern-Benin, with information on their use, threats and relations between the targeted habitats and the listed plants on the one hand and the knowledge associated with them and the socio-professional characteristics of the populations on the other. The data (user identity, plants used, plant organs collected, uses, plant threats) were collected from 113 individuals interviewed individually during an ethnobotanical study in 20 villages distributed around the three vegetation formations. The results showed that 59 plant species are useful for the populations surrounding the formations. The most important in terms of use value are Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (VUT = 7.86), Irvingia gabonensis (VUT = 7.84), Dialium guineense (VUT = 7.69), Khaya senegalensis (VUT = 7.46), Prosopis africana (VUT = 7.06), Ceiba pentandra (VUT = 7.01), and Synsepalum dulcificum (VUT = 6.98). The indices of Diversity and Equitability of the respondents reveal that knowledge on plant species is not homogeneously distributed (ID = 0.430, IE = 0.451 <0.5) and maximum information on species is held by a part of the population. Pruning (40%) is the main source of species threats. Plantation, agrosystems, sensitizing populations on good methods of harvest could help to preserve the main plants useful for the populations of Southern Benin

Prospects of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production and commercialization in Benin

BackgroundVegetables and fruits are highly recommended in diets because of their nutritional importance. Among those, leguminous vegetables are more important, for low-income countries, because of their protein, mineral contents and potential to increase food security and income. In Benin, snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are the most consumed leguminous vegetables; however, their production is declining, driving the need to understand the current status of its industry to propose solutions for the revival of the sector. This paper assessed the production system, market value, marketing channels, seed systems, and the constraints associated with Benin’s snap bean production from a gender lens.MethodsA semi-structured interview was conducted with 602 bean producers and traders, randomly selected from 12 major vegetable-producing areas across Benin.ResultsThe study found a drastic decline in the production of snap beans, with more than 60% abandonment over the last decade. As a consequence, Benin gets supplied through importations, with the highest importation flow coming from Togo (51%), followed by Burkina Faso (25%), and Ghana (12%). Only 13% of the beans traded are locally produced. The leading causes of the decline were pests and diseases that affected the crops’ yield and quality, causing the local produce to be less valued than the imported ones. Women are heavily involved in marketing but cannot expand their business due to low production and high importation.DiscussionThe study recommends that integrated pest management (IPM) and new varieties with tolerance to major pests and diseases be developed to address market demand and producers trained in agronomic practices

Analyse phytogéographique de la région des Monts Kouffé au Bénin

The Mounts Kouffé region is located in the central part of Benin between 1°40′ and 2°30′ N, and 8°25′ and 9°15′ E. This study dealt with the plant communities of the protected area of Wari Maro and Mounts Kouffé. The vegetation is composed of savannah, woodland and patches of dry forests. The aim of this study is to determine the phytogeographical position of the Mounts Kouffé region within Benin and western Africa. Between 1996 and 1998, floristical surveys were carried out. Some 159 phytosociological relevés were done. They resulted in 954 herbarium specimens corresponding to 584 species. Species of the Sudanian base element represent 16.1% of the total flora spectrum of Mounts Kouffé region. Species of two of the three endemic genera to sudanian regional centre of endemism (RCE) were collected, i.e. Vitellaria paradoxa and Pseudocedrela kotschyi. The species present in both Sudanian and Zambesian RCE made up 13.5% of the phytogeographical spectrum and those of the Guineo-Congolian element accounted for 11.3% of the spectrum. They mostly belonged to gallery forests and dry forests because of the position of this region which is located in the most southern part of the Sudanian RCE close to the regional transition zone of Guinea-Congolia/Sudania. The other species widespread in several RCE's within continental african phytochoria represented 33% of the spectrum. Species of wide distribution represented 25.2% of the spectrum. This vegetation is entirely located into the Sudanian RCE as defined by White, with an important contribution of Guineo-Congolian species.SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Impact des feux de brousse sur la dynamique des communautés végé tales dans la forêt de Bassila (Bénin)

The impact of bush fire on the dynamic of vegetation in Bassila forest was studied. The results show reforestation in the plot protected from bush fire and decrease of forest species in the plot affected by late fire. In the plot affected by early fire, most species present at the beginning of the study had a normal development. Late fire allowed apparition of new species of therophyte (36%) and decrease of phanerophyte species. Phanerophytes have the same values (45%) in the plots protected from bush fire and those affected by early fire.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Effect of defoliation on silica accumulation in five tropical fodder grass species in Benin

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Anthropisation et dynamique des paysages en zone soudanienne au nord du Bénin

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Dynamique paysagère au Nord-Bénin (Afrique de l'Ouest)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Temporal change in silica accumulation, covariations with foliar minerals and fodder value of Loxodera ledermannii (Pilger) ex Launert from the Sudanian Benin (Western Africa)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe