ABSTRACT Knowledge of existing diversity especially at the genotypic level in plant population is crucial for the effective breeding, conservation, management, and efficient utilization of plant genetic resources (PGR) (Mondini et al., 2009). However, Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lamarck), a common and popular plant growing in almost every part of the country with several uses and benefits still remains underutilized tropical crop in Ghana. This is due to the fact that the crop has either receiv...
ABSTRACT The study was undertaken to examine the effect of clustering on profitability among small scale palm oil processing enterprises in the Birim North district of Ghana. The study sought to examine the nature of clustering among palm oil processing enterprises, the net income derived from clusters and the extent of cluster influence on profitability among small scale palm oil processors. A multistage sampling was employed to select 200 respondents for the study. Principal Component Analy...
ABSTRACT Gaining insight into the livelihood strategies adopted by farmers is crucial for the success of interventions aiming at improving livelihood in rural areas. This study assessed the livelihood strategies adopted by farm households in southern Benin. The study was carried out in Allada and Bonou, districts located in the southern region of Benin which was purposively selected for their noticeable agrarian and economic activities. A total of 160 farm households were randomly sampled and...
ABSTRACT Consumer preference is very important in acceptance of an improved crop variety. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) was therefore conducted on preferred traits of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp] among Ghanaian consumers in Ketu North, Ho and Akatsi districts. It was confirmed that the age long preference for large white cowpea among Ghanaian consumers still exists. Based on the results of the PRA, cowpea germplasm was assembled and used in genetic studies on seed coat colour and...
ABSTRACT Infectious diseases of livestock are difficult to control in Africa due partly to lack of vaccines. In the absence of these vaccines, livestock production in endemic regions is constrained by the need for repeated acaricide use and/or the loss of opportunity to genetically improve the productivity of the indigenous breeds. Indigenous cattle have innate resistance to majority of diseases but are of low productivity. There is evidence that resistance to severe disease and death upon in...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effect of feed supplementation during the postpartum period on the growth and reproductive performance of 40 grazing Sanga and Friesian x Sanga cows in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana. Twenty out of the total of 40 cows (10 Sanga and 10 Friesian x Sanga crossbred cows) were supplemented with 2.5 kg of concentrate per day during the period of study. All cows were weighed weekly and scored for body condition once every week using the 9-point...
ABSTRACT Communication in a multi-campus University is perceived to be riddled with delays, distortions, high cost or reduction in quality of information flow within and/or across campuses and consequently affect performance. The study examined the effects of organizational communication on administrative performance of staff in the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana with the application of the System theory and a developed conceptual framework. The mixed research design was used and a...
ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted concurrently to determine the effects of charcoal incorporation at 3 and 6% in diets containing 5%sun-dried false yam tuber meal (SDFYTM) and 15%soaked false yam tuber meal (SFYTM) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens, and a digestibility trial to determine nutrient digestibility of the experimental diets. False yam tubers were peeled, diced with some sun-dried and milled for a feeding trial in Experiment 1. The other d...
ABSTRACT Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth infests millions of hectares of land under cereals in sub-Saharan Africa, reducing production and threatening food security. A field experiment was carried out at the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) trial farms at Nyankpala. The trial was to determine the combination of maize varieties, ammonium sulphate and chicken manure that could enhance the performance of maize in infested Striga field. In addition, the effect of treatments on the ...
ABSTRACT Solanum aethiopicum is one of the most important Solanum species, with four morphological groups. Two of the groups, Gilo and Shum, are mainly cultivated because of their nutritional value and income generating potential for farmers in developing countries. Of focus for this study was the Shum, a leafy morphological group whose productivity and quality is directly affected by drought. Global limitations on water resource availability call for the need to develop productive varieties ...
ABSTRACT Mango bacterial black spot disease is one of the most devastating diseases of mangoes worldwide. The disease was observed in some mango orchards in the Lower Manya and Asuogyaman districts of the Eastern region and North Tongu district of the Volta region of Ghana. The objectives of this study were to assess farmer’s perception and knowledge on the prevalence, spread and economic importance of the mango bacterial black spot disease, determine the disease incidence and severity in m...
ABSTRACT In Benin, Oueme Delta wetlands, as an ecological life support system, play a vital role in contributing to the local population’s livelihood, health and wellbeing. The paucity of knowledge about the value of the Oueme Delta wetlands and their attributes to society, especially to agricultural households undermines the ability of decision makers to develop and implement sustainable wetland use and management policies that maximize societal welfare. To fill that gap, this thesis has b...
ABSTRACT The failure of past attempts to develop aquaculture in Ghana has been of concern to many people. Relevant constraints identified included fmgerling shortages, low economic returns from the industry, inadequate tested extension messages among others. In recent years. The Water Research Institute and the Directorate of Fisheries have made some efforts to solve the immediate problems of inadequate seed supply and stunted growth of tilapia in ponds due to excessive reproduction. Pilot ha...
ABSTRACT Generally, soils in coastal savanna in Ghana are low in phosphorus (P) which affects crop growth and yield. Most phosphate rock deposits in West Africa are not reactive and therefore their direct applications do not promote readily P availability to crops. Co-composting organic waste and phosphate rock and using phosphorus solubilizing micro-organisms (PSMs) are some of the options currently attracting the attention of scientists. A study was conducted to (1) evaluate the effectivene...
SUMMARY Detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection by the direct demonstration of parasites is difficult due to the intracellular development of the organism, whilst the tissue culture technique is cumbersome and slow. Several workers have, therefore, relied on the demonstration of specific anti-f. gondii antibodies in serum and body fluids of both human and animal populations to obtain epidemiological data on toxoplasmosis. The applicability of this approach is based on the ability to differen...