https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/issue/feedAsian Research Journal of Agriculture2023-11-25T12:41:54+00:00Asian Research Journal of Agriculturecontact@journalarja.comOpen Journal Systems<div><strong>Asian Research Journal of Agriculture (ISSN: 2456-561X)</strong> aims to publish high quality papers (<a href="https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/general-guideline-for-authors">Click here for Types of paper</a>) in field of agricultural science. By not excluding papers based on novelty, this journal facilitates the research and wishes to publish papers as long as they are technically correct and scientifically motivated. The journal also encourages the submission of useful reports of negative results. This is a quality controlled, OPEN peer-reviewed, open-access INTERNATIONAL journal.</div>https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/article/view/397Risk Preference Responses to Fertilizer Expenditures: A Case of Maize Smallholder Farmers in Iringa and Arusha Regions in Tanzania2023-10-02T10:57:26+00:00Mwaijande V. J.violetmwaijande@gmail.comJ. V. Msinde A. M. Akyoo A. A. Mushongi <p>Initiatives have been tested to improve usage and expenditures on inorganic fertilizers; most did not yield the expected results, particularly in highly maize-growing highlands. This study evaluates the usage of inorganic fertilizers and the influence of maize farmers’ risk preferences on expenditure in inorganic fertilizers in the Iringa and Arusha regions. Data were adopted from an Agronomic Panel Survey (APS) from 129 maize farmers’ household heads (HHs), randomly selected within a spatial sampling frame in the maize-growing regions of the Southern and Northern highlands of Tanzania. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tobit model. Results revealed that the majority of maize farmers (64%) did not apply inorganic fertilizers on maize plots. Results further showed statistical significance for the Arusha region (p<0.001), non-schooling (p<0.05), primary education (0.01), ordinary secondary education (p<0.05), number of plots (p<0.05) and size of the maize plot (p<0.001) in predicting inorganic fertilizer expenditures when Tobit model was estimated. Nevertheless, risk-preferred maize farmers statistically influenced fertilizer expenditure when both highlands were included. The study recommends a model comprising risk preferences, geographical factors, and household characteristics in studying farmers’ decisions on expenditure of inorganic fertilizers in respective regions and districts to uncover the location specificity and improve maize production.</p>2023-10-02T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Mwaijande et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/article/view/398 Comparative Efficacy of Cypermethrin and Plant Extract in the Control of Cucumber Pests in Ado Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria2023-10-04T09:31:49+00:00Falade M. J.moses.falade@eksu.edu.ng<p>Cucumber (<em>Cucumis</em> <em>Sativus</em>) is widely cultivated and consumed in the tropics as a source of fruit vegetable for man due to its numerous health benefits. Attainable yield in the farmers farm is considerably low due to the problem of insect pest attack. Based on the above, experiment was conducted to investigate the efficacy of cypermethrin and three plant extracts (<em>Datura</em> <em>stramonium</em>, <em>Ricinus</em> <em>communis</em> and <em>Sida</em> <em>acuta</em>) in the control of insect pest associated with cucumber. Cucumber variety Cu 999 was planted on a 2 x 2 m at a spacing of 40cm x 40cm. three concentrations of the extracts was used in the control of the pest and cypermethrin insecticide was used as a standard check. The control plot in each case was sprayed with distilled water. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and means separated using least significant different at (p ≤ 0.05). Result from the study shows statistically significant variations. Eight insect pests belonging to different families were frequently observed on the cucumber. Incidence of normal fruits were generally higher than abnormal fruits at all the tested concentrations. At 65 % concentration with extracts of <em>D</em>. <em>stranmonium</em>, incidence of normal fruit (80.3 %) was not significantly different from that of cypermethrin insecticide (82.6 %). Yield of cucumber sprayer with 65% concentration of <em>D</em>. <em>stramonium</em> (250 kg/ha) was not significantly different from that of cypermethrin insecticide (254 kg/ha). The study concluded that extracts of the three plants can replace the synthetic insecticide in the management of the insect plant of cucumber with corresponding yield.</p>2023-10-04T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Falade; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/article/view/400Income Effect of Participation in Agricultural Production: The Case of Smallholder Maize Farmers in Tanzania2023-10-19T07:29:37+00:00Daudi Moses Msengi daudimsengi21@gmail.comAdam Akyoo <p>Agriculture is an important sector of the Tanzanian economy, contributing about 26.9% to GDP. About 80% of the population depends on agriculture as a source of income. Extant literature shows mixed results regarding the relationship between agricultural participation and income. This study investigated effect of agricultural participation on income in Tanzania. The National Sample Census of Agriculture data 2019/2020 with a sample of 11,812 households was used. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. Propensity score matching was used to analyse the effect of household participation in maize production on income in Tanzania. The findings show that households participate in maize production have a negatively and significantly effect on their household income. Again, the use of fertilizer, off-farm employment, land size, and type of seed used positively and significantly influenced participation in maize production. On the other hand, sex of the household head, membership in cooperative, use of irrigation and herbicides had negative and significant effects on participation in maize production. Consequently, there is a need to provide necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, improved seeds and a more enabling environment for land ownership to be used in maize production among smallholder farmers.</p>2023-10-19T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Msengi and Akyoo; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/article/view/401 Traditional Seed Production and Processing Method for Urochloa Grass Employed by Farmers in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon2023-11-07T10:58:50+00:00Ojong Agbor Ntaneklexiojong@yahoo.comEgbe Enow AndrewEneke Esoeyang Tambe Bechem Mandah Cecilia Takor Kingsley Agbor Etchu Collins Mutai <p><strong>Aims: </strong>To investigate the traditional / local seed processing system employed by farmers in the Adamawa region, examine the practices and techniques used in seed production and processing.</p> <p><strong>Study Design: </strong>A purposive random sampling technique was used.</p> <p><strong>Place and Duration of Study: </strong>This study was carried out at seven localities (Ngaousai, Youkou, Wakwa, Darang, Mbidjoro, Beka and Bini) in Adamawa region, Vina division (Ngoundere) between September and October 2019</p> <p><strong>Methodology: </strong>The research included a combination of phone calls interviews, focus group discussion (FGD) and use of semi-structured questionnaires. The views of 16 farmers were sampled focusing on socioeconomic characteristics, the benefits of <em>Urochloa </em>grass, perception of Urochloa grass and seeds production system as well as cost of production of <em>Urochloa</em> seeds. The economic return in terms of benefit/cost ratio was calculated taking into consideration the current prices of various inputs.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Male-headed families made up 81% of the respondents. Most of the respondents were within the productive ages of 31-40 years (31%) and 41-50 years (31%). Majority of respondents (75%) owned their farms and most of them (63%) have been farming for more than 10 years, with (44%) of them farming on areas between 5 and 10 hectares. 68.7% of the respondents get their seeds from past harvest. Most of the farmers (86.7%) harvest seeds using direct heading. Over all, the majority of respondents (81.25%) prepare their seeds by sun drying. In terms of economic value, results showed a Benefit: Cost ratio of more than 1.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The study contributes to the preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge related to <em>Urochloa </em>seed processing method. Thereby reducing the dependence of importing seeds to enhance livestock production. These findings underscore the potential of <em>Urochloa</em> seed production as a profitable agricultural activity that can contribute to the economic well-being of farmers in the region.</p>2023-11-07T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Ntane et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.https://journalarja.com/index.php/ARJA/article/view/402Occurrence, Distribution and Farmers' Perceptions of Cassava Diseases in Gabon, Central Africa2023-11-25T12:41:54+00:00Mouketou Armelamuketu2013@gmail.comNdiade Bourobou DyanaKoumba Aubin ArmelAbessolo Meye ClotildeGnacadja Claude Zinga Koumba Christophe RolandMbeng Ndong Hendrix Sima Owono Rochat LéotardLepengué Alexis NicaiseMavoungou Jacques François<p><strong>Aims</strong><strong>:</strong> In order to identify and assess the level of cassava diseases in farms present in Gabon, disease surveys were carried out across the country in 2021 and 2022.</p> <p><strong>Methodology</strong><strong>:</strong> The method used is based on administration of questionnaire to cassava growers, supplemented by the recognition of disease symptoms on 30 randomly selected plants in farms.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong><strong>:</strong> Some 201 cassava growers were interviewed, 84.04% (n=169) of them were women and 15.92% (n=32) men. Nearly 65.41% of the farmers interviewed had a primary school education and were aged between 51 and 55. The majority of these producers had farming as their main activity (89.73%). The results showed the occurrence of five cassava diseases in the study area: cassava mosaic (Im = 60.22%; Sm = 2.95), anthracnose (Im = 19.45%; Sm = 3), leaf necrosis (Im= 9.95%; Sm = 2.71), bacteriosis (Im = <1%; Sm = 3), and root rot (Im = <1%; Sm = 2.61). Among these diseases, mosaic was the most frequently observed in the provinces surveyed. Its incidence was lowest in Estuaire (38.40%) and highest in Ogooué-Ivindo (71.36%) and Ogooué-Maritime (71.76%). Anthracnose incidence was lowest in Moyen-Ogooué (4.05%) and highest in Haut-Ogooué (36.50%). For leaf necrosis, Woleu-Ntem (0.71%) and Ogooué-Ivindo (31.11%) recorded the lowest and highest incidence respectively.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong><strong>:</strong> In order to control these cassava diseases, it is important to initiate and implement awareness campaigns and training workshops for growers to encourage them to adopt good farming practices.</p>2023-11-25T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Armel et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.