ABSTRACT A study was conducted in Dodoma district, Dodoma region Tanzania to assess the soil fertility status for sesame production. The study was initiated due to the continuous decline of sesame yield to alarmingly low levels. The objectives of the study were to determine the levels of N, P, K, S, Mg, Ca, Na, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn in soils and evaluate the response of sesame crop to the application of N, P, K, S and Zn. This was done by analysing soils from twenty sesame growing areas of Dodom...
ABSTRACT The study on the response of common bean genotypes to rhizobia inoculation and effects of P and N on biological nitrogen fixation was carried out in field and Screen house experiments. Field experiments arranged in a split-split plot design were conducted to (a) Screen 16 common bean genotypes for capacity to fix nitrogen when inoculated with Rhizobium inoculants and (b) Assess genotype by environment interaction (G x E) on biological nitrogen fixation. The locations were the main-p...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the role of Group Managed Grain Banks in ensuring rural food security. Specifically the study aimed to: describe the grain banks in terms of their functions and constraints, evaluate the contribution of grain banks on food supply consistency and security at household level and analyse operation performance of each grain bank. The study was carried in Dodoma region, using case study design at Kongwa and Chamwino districts. Purposive sampling wa...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT Field investigations on the occurrence, incidence and damage severity of the Citrus Leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on Citrus crops were conducted in Morogoro Rural, Muheza and Kinondoni districts from December 2011 to September 2012. Fifty citrus fields were randomly selected in each of Morogoro Rural and Muheza districts from which 10 000 trees (>5 years old) were examined for leafminer damage signs. A total of 25 seedling nurseries...
ABSTRACT Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is accepted globally as a major food crop. It is a staple food crop in many countries in Africa. There has been an increasing demand of rice in Africa. Africa consumes 11.6 million tonnes of rice per annum and out of 39 rice producing countries, 21 import 50 to 99 percent of their rice requirements. The inability to reach the yield potential that would sustain Africa’s need for rice is due to many biotic and abiotic constraints that rice production faces. In...
ABSTRACT The study to assess and evaluate factors contributing to scarcity of water and compute water poverty index (WPI) for identifying priority areas for interventions in Baga watershed was undertaken in Lushoto district, Tanzania. Specific objectives of this study were to identify and assess factors contributing to scarcity of water, compute WPI for villages and identification of priority areas for interventions in Baga watershed. Data were collected from households through questionnaire...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted in Bashay irrigation schemes of Mbulu District. The main objective was to determine the profitable crop production options for Bashay irrigation scheme. A cross sectional single-visit survey involving 100 farmers from Mangisa and Diyomat villages was conducted representing up and down stream respectively. Descriptive Statistics, Gross Margin, Multiple Regression and Linear Programming model were used as analytical tools. The findings revealed that majority (6...
ABSTRACT The improved technologies and other practices in agricultural production are often recognized as critical in addressing food insecurity and poverty. Conservation agriculture has emerged as an alternative to conventional agriculture as a result of losses in soil productivity due to soil degradation. This study was conducted in order to determine the economic performance of conservation as compared to conventional agricultural practices in Southern Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro region...
ABSTRACT Pulses are the major source of income to farmers and nutrients to people and animals. Pulses also offer natural maintenance benefits in the soil. In spite of economic and nutritional importance its consumption is low and has been decreasing over time. This study investigated not only factors underlying pulses consumption but also its consumption pattern. Data used in the analysis were collected by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2010/11 which covered 21 regions in Tanzania main...
ABSTRACT The agricultural extension and advisory system in Ethiopia is at a crossroads towards pluralistic agricultural extension and advisory services. The natural resource management is the top agenda in the agricultural extension and advisory services of the country. Although various watershed management activities have been implanting in order to overcome the impact of floods, all efforts did not bring the desired results in terms of reducing floods. One possible reason could be the acti...
ABSTRACT Commercial production of Agaricus bisporus is dependent upon a substrate prepared by composting. Traditional composting is associated with a number of environmental problems such as the emission of offensive odors and waste water run-off during handling. In addition, after the production of a crop of mushrooms, there is the problem of disposal of spent mushroom substrate (SMS). Thus, preparation of a suitable substrate for mushroom production without the generation of offensive odor...
ABSTRACT Climate change mitigation interventions have been placed in many parts of the world including Tanzania aiming to mitigate extreme impacts of climate change. This study was conducted to determine effectiveness of climate change mitigation interventions on crop productivity in Morogoro District. Specifically, the study aimed at (i) identifying climate change mitigation interventions undertaken in the study area, (ii) assessing level of communities’ awareness on climate change mitiga...
ABSTRACT The global markets are increasingly being integrated due to globalization and liberalisation. Drastic changes prompted by technological change are daily transpiring in the agricultural produce marketing which put smallholder farmers’market survival at stake. The notable changes are manifested in terms of value addition and product differentiation. This study was undertaken to identify factors that determine milk value chain choice amongst smallholder dairy in Iringa and Tanga urba...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted to assess the effects of Effective Microorganisms (EM) as feed additive in broiler chicken production on growth performance, health and foul smell control in poultry house. The experiment involved two hundred and ten, day old hybro broiler chicks which were randomly allocated to 14 pens each with 15 birds in seven treatments with two replicates. The main treatment (EM) was provided to experimental birds in two levels: 10mlEM2/l and 20mlEM2/l either in drinkin...
ABSTRACT Local Chicken (LC) keeping is an important activity in improving socio-economics of the peri-urban communities in Tanzania. Despite the LC has socio-economic importance, its information is in adequately available. This study assessed the socio- economic importance of LCs production in peri-urban areas of Kinondoni District. The study specifically determined the contribution of local chicken production to peri-urban household’s income, examined the process of LC management from day...