ABSTRACT Maize streak disease (MSD) is the most important viral disease affecting maize production in Ghana. Management options employed to mitigate the effect of the disease has not been successful. Breeding for disease resistant is the most sustainable option. Mutation breeding was used in this study to develop maize mutants’ lines that are resistant MSD. Radiosensitivity was first carried out to determine the optimum dose for mutation induction in six cultivars of maize grown in the stu...
ABSTRACT Aspects of the ecology and spatial context of Etse Lagoon at Abandze, in the Central Region of Ghana were studied from April 2014 and March 2015. Water temperature ranged from 24.0 ⁰C to 36.6 ⁰C (mean = 29.43 ± 0.12 ⁰C). Salinity varied from 0.72 ‰ to 22.30 ‰ (mean = 13.42 ± 0.30 ‰), pH from 4.6 to 8.9 with a mean value of 7.6 ± 0.03, DO from 1.65 mg/l to 11.15 mg/l with a mean value of 5.08 ± 0.08 mg/l and conductivity from 7.35 mS/cm to 43.3 mS/cm with a mean value...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the catch trends, spatial distributions, exploitation status, and reproductive potential of the sparids – Pagrus caeruleostictus, Dentex canariensis and Dentex gibbosus, in the coastal waters of Ghana. Samples of the species were obtained from commercial catches at Tema, Elmina and Sekondi from February 2016 to July 2017. Also used were secondary data from the Fisheries Scientific Survey Department and Fridtjof Nansen cruise reports. P. caeruleostictus was ...
ABSTRACT The main aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which communities in the Gomoa East District participate in improving basic education delivery. Specifically, the study looked at the activities that communities perform and the extent to which they engage in those activities to improve access, infrastructure development and academic performance, as well as ensuring effective monitoring and supervision. The sampled respondents consisted of basic school heads and teachers, ...
ABSTRACT One of the problems accounting for the relatively low level of cocoa production in Ghana is the decline in soil fertility. The Cocoa High Technology Programme (CHTP) was introduced by the Government of Ghana in 2003 with the aim of improving the fertility of the soil thereby increasing the yields and incomes of cocoa farmers. The study was carried out (using a descriptive-correlational survey design) in Birim South, East Akim, Fanteakwah and Birim North districts in the Eastern Reg...
ABSTRACT The environmental conditions, composition of benthic macrofauna, and richness, diversity, as well as food habits and aspects of reproductive biology of fish species in the Kakum Estuary wetland (located 2 km west of Cape Coast, Ghana) were studied from July 2009 to February 2010 in an effort to broaden our knowledge of the biodiversity and ecological value of wetland ecosystems. Sampling was conducted on five pools in the wetland. Oligochaeta and Diptera (chironomid larvae) were the ...
ABSTRACT Inadequate alternative sources of energy and low income engender unsustainable exploitation of the environment by the inhabitants of semi arid regions. Literature abounds on the potentials of Jatropha curcas as an alternative source of energy. This study reports the awareness and acceptability of the energy and other potentials of J. curcas in Kano state. Primary data were collected using FGDs and a set of structured questionnaire administered randomly on 1280 farmers. Information we...
ABSTRACT Low soil Nitrogen (N) and sub-optimal N fertilizer application result in low Grain Yield (GY) in maize. Genotypes with improved N-Use Efficiency (NUE) are beneficial to low-input agriculture. To facilitate the genetic improvement of tropical maize for NUE, information is required on the relative importance of N-Uptake Efficiency (NUpE) and N-Utilization Efficiency (NUtE), both components of NUE, the relationships among the gene networks in the developing cob tissue and agronomic tra...
ABSTRACT Rural population is the highest in developing countries with pathetic living condition and lack of resources to cope with ecological perturbations apart from not having social opportunities to cushion the impacts of extreme events. This paper reports the impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of forest dependent rural populations in Ondo State, a forest rich southwestern part of Nigeria, with the view to identifying possible adaptation strategies. Stratified multistage simple r...
ABSTRACT Development of empirical models provides ample prospects of exploring established mathematical theories and relationships among tree growth variables for sustainable forest management options. However, there is inadequate information on modelling growth characteristics and productivity potentials of Pinus caribaea, a pulpwood species which is now being proposed for timber production in Nigeria. Hence, models for growth characteristics and their applications in yield studies for Pinu...
ABSTRACT Forest road construction appears to be the most expensive single investment in forest operations and designing forest road to specification is a complex engineering problem involving economic, environmental and social factors. The study was carried out to assess the technical compliances to recommended land owners guide to building forest access road in a forest estate in Nigeria. The study was carried out at Ondo State Afforestation Project (OSAP) Headquarters, South West Nigeria. D...
ABSTRACT Fusarium verticillioides is a major fungal pathogen of maize causing rots in seed, root, stalk and ear; seedling blight and fumonisin mycotoxin contamination of grains. Use of chemicals is being discouraged due to its human and environmental health hazards. Information on eco-friendly control method against the pathogen is scanty. Therefore, the efficacies of selected botanicals and microbial agents as eco-friendly control against F. verticillioides were determined. Six Quality Prot...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the potential participation of Ibadan residents in the development of urban forestry initiative for environmental rehabilitation of the metropolis. Data were obtained from multi stage randomly sampled 397 residents within the five local government areas (LGAs) in Ibadan metropolis. The result revealed that 49% of the respondents claimed to have trees planted around their residences. Out of this, 83% believed that these trees provide shade for them for recreati...
ABSTRACT Aquaculture is becoming a very important source of income and a source of protein in the diets of many. Over the past few years, efforts were made by individuals and groups to venture into cage fish farming on the Volta Lake in the Asuogyaman and South Dayi districts of Ghana. However, many of these farms were not sustained. This study examined the relationship between entrepreneur and enterprise characteristics and success of small scale cage fish enterprises in the two districts. T...
Abstract Forests play many diverse and multifaceted roles in our life. However, there is an emerging nexus between forest and national security in many countries, especially within the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Contrary to the noble objectives for which they were constituted, many forest reserves have become a source of security concern both at the local and national scale. In the light of this, we examined the relationship between forest and national security in Nigeria, with a view to ...