Asian Research Journal of Agriculture

Aims: The study aims to identifying the microorganisms associated with post-harvest rot of frafra potatoes in Bongo-soe, Upper east region of Ghana.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Horticulture and the Pathology laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. The Solenostemon rotundifolius tubers were stored at the Horticulture Department laboratory whiles rot identification was carried out at the Pathology laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture. The Tubers were stored from 2^nd November, 2012 to 22^nd March 2013.

Methodology: Four hundred (400) tubers of black cultivar and four hundred (400) tubers of a brown cultivar of Solenostemon rotundifolius tubers showing visible signs of rot during the storage were collected. Pieces of diseased tissues from the margin of the necrotic collected and immersed in 10% commercial bleach solution for sterilisation, for one minute. These were then blotted dry and plated on Potato Dextrose Agar PDA. The plates were sealed with a cellotape until growth occurred.

Results: The microorganisms identified to be responsible for causing rot in Solenostemon rotundifolius tubers were six in number. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was identified to be responsible for 30.76% of rots observed, followed by Aspergillus niger, 23.07%, Curvularia lunata, 19.23%, Aspergillus flavus, 11.54%, Trichoderma sp and Penicillium sp both recorded 7.70% of rots observed. The percentage incidence of Aspergillus niger (15.38%), Curvularia lunata (11.54%) and Aspergillus flavus (7.69%) was higher in the black cultivar as compared with the brown cultivar which had percentage incidence of 7.69%, 7.69% and 3.85% respectively. Also, the percentage incidence of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (15.38%) and Penicillium sp (3.85%) was the same in both the black and brown cultivars of Solenostemon rotundifolius tubers used in this study.

Conclusion: The activities of the damaging microorganisms can be reduced by controlling mechanical injury during harvesting, transportation and storage of Solenostemon rotundifolius tubers should be prevented or reduced because they pave the way for tuber infection by the rot causing microorganisms.

The survey was conducted to identify constraints to participation of rural women in technology dissemination of Women in Agriculture Program (WIA) in Imo State, Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 60 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean score. Results showed that 33.0% of the respondents were aged between 41 and 50 years, majority (75.0%) were married, 88.0% had formal education and 55.3% engaged in farming and trading, while 56.6% had a household size of 6-10 persons. The respondents participated in the activities like processing and utilization of food crops (16.7%), harvesting and storage of food crops (16.7%), dry season vegetable production (13.3%), processing and utilization of livestock products (10.0%), processing and utilization of soya bean into soya milk and soya meal (6.7%). The study recommended that rural women should be encouraged to join co-operative societies in order to pull their resources together. It also highlighted the need for promotion of rural women’s activities through adequate provision of credit facilities by government at all levels for optimum productivity.

In this paper, we study the models designed to increase the work of reversible disc plough. Results of research on the use of design-engineering methods of a heightening of serviceability are reduced and it is offered to use an improved disk of digging out device root of the tillage machines. Results of a study on the application of design and technological methods revealed that one of the promising areas of increased efficiency and durability are strengthening blades durable material of variable thickness.

This study was aimed at evaluating the value chain of the small ruminant in Tahtay Adyabo District of Tigray Region. The data were collected from 138 sample households, 26 traders, 5 butchers, 7 hotels/restaurants and 11 consumers interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire and from key informant interview. The value chain analysis revealed that the major actors in the district being input suppliers, small ruminant producers, farmers, collectors, small traders, large traders, hotels/restaurants, butchers and consumers. Office of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution, NGO (Save the Children) and Shire-Maitsebri Agricultural Research Center are main supporting institutions. Nine main alternative channels were identified for goat and sheep marketing. Small ruminant market participant of sample respondents were supplied 137.28 TLU of goats and 107.25 TLU of sheep to the market. In the study area, the governance of the sheep and goat value chain is buyer driven, and there are no producers and buyers cooperatives. Therefore effort should be made to establish farmers’ cooperative and collective action of farmers to lower transaction costs to access inputs.

Poultry egg production is an economically viable investment among Agroforestry farmers in Southwestern Nigeria but paucity of funds and high cost of inputs are major problems in their business operations. This study focused on the effects of accessibility and non-accessibility of Agroforestry farmers to credit on poultry egg production. Data were randomly collected from 120 poultry farmers with a structured questionnaire which comprised of 60 credit beneficiaries (CB) and 60 non-credit beneficiaries (NCB) Agroforestry farmers. The data were analyzed with mean, percentages, frequency distribution, logit and multiple regression analyses. The results of the analyses indicated that the mean age of the CB and NCB Agroforestry farmers were ±46 and ±56 years respectively. Majority of the farmers were married CB (77.4%) and NCB (81.0%). The logit regression analysis revealed that the age of the respondents had a positive relationship with access to credit at 5% level of significance. Multiple regression model for credit accessed farmers indicated that age, family size, drug quantity are positively related to output and are significant at 10% and 1% levels. Multiple regression result for NCB farmers shows that the quantity of drug used is positively related to the egg output at 1% level. The hypotheses tested show that there was a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics and the egg production in the study area and; between the output of farmers who are credit beneficiaries and non-credit beneficiaries. The major constraints to poultry production in Agroforestry system were limited finances, high cost of inputs and poor quality of day old chicks. Accessibility to formal credit facilities has a key role to play in Agroforestry poultry farming. Individuals, Governments and NGOs should therefore facilitate empowerment of youths in poultry egg production.