ABSTRACT This study was carried out to examine the techniques and technologies for cassava processing in Eliki Slate, to identify the various products from cassava in the study area, to generate ways of improving the techniques and technologies, and to recognize the constraints to processing and marketing of cassava products. The study made use of structured questionnaires, oral interviews and focused group discussions to select a sample size of 120 respondents.The population under study was...
ABSTRACT Water released from ponds has greater concentrations of nutrients, organic matter and suspended solids. This study investigated the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of fish pond waste water harvested from a source which served as the control, three different ponds and at the point of discharge in Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) farm, Ekiti State. The samples were collected in 50 ml capacity polypropylene containers. Parameters investigated include temperat...
ABSTRACT An evaporative cooling system was designed, fabricated and tested for the storage of fresh fruits and vegetables. The system's working principles is based on the principle of evaporation which causes a cooling effect to its surrounding. The system is an enclosed system and air is allowed to pass only through the pad, also a suction fan centrally located which draws in air through the pad. Water drips into the foam at a constant rate through a water distribution system. As the water d...
ABSTRACT A solar dryer integrated with a simple bed rock was designed and constructed with locally available materials to dry tomatoes and pepper. The dryer was composed of solar collector, drying chamber, back up heater and airflow system all integrated together. The back-up heater provided alternative heating during cloudy weather conditions or at night when solar radiations were low. The dryer was designed based on climatic conditions of Ikale summit located in Ikale, Ekiti Nigeria. The ...
ABSTRACT The amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in a particular soil is influenced by several factors including climate, vegetation type and age, land management, soil properties and current and past land use. The impacts of land use types on soil organic carbon were assessed. Four land use types were used in the study. Sampled soils were taken at depth of 0-45 cm and at intervals of 15 cm. The soil samples were examined in accordance with the standard methods. The data were analy...
ABSTRACT Many grasses have played prominent roles in forage research and livestock production in Nigeria. Grasses possess two main photosynthetic pathways: the C3 pathway that is typical of most plants and a specialized C4 pathway that minimizes photorespiration and thus increases photosynthetic performance in high-temperature and/ or low- CO2 environments. Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) is a perennial grass of tropical and subtropical Africa where it remained one of the main C4 forage grass...
ABSTRACT Water conservation and food security are some of the problems facing developing countries. The challenges of water conservation could be tackled by adopting the drip irrigation method. The drip irrigation system is an irrigation system that involves the artificial application of water to the base or root zone of plants in a controlled slow frequent and steady manner. This study was developed drip irrigation system for rural farmer on a small sale plot of an area of 7m X 5m with a wa...
ABSTRACT Food extrusion is one of the earliest methods adopted by most industries to convert their paste raw material to a finished and desire shape based on their of an extrusion machine. Extrusion technique is a process in food processing technology that combines several unit operations including cooking. kneading. shearing. shaping and forming. The machine that forces the mix through the die is an extruder and the mix is known as extrudate. The extruder consists of large, rotating screw ...
ABSTRACT Weed control is one of the most difficult tasks on an agricultural farm. Three methods of weed control are commonly known in agriculture. These are mechanical, chemical and biological control. Mechanical weed control is easily adopted by farmers once they get convinced of its advantages. Mechanical weed control not only uproots the weed between the crop rows but also keeps the soil surface loose, ensuring better soil aeration and water intake capacity. Weeding by mechanical devices...
ABSTRACT Drying is the oldest method of preserving agricultural products and it is an energy intensive process. High prices ·and shortages of fossil fuels have increased the emphasis on using alternative renewable energy resources. Drying of agricultural products using renewable energy such as solar energy is environmental friendly and has little environmental impact. Development of solar drying has brought a techniques and equipment for fast drying of various agricultural product foods...
ABSTRACT The effect of poultry waste application on physicochemical and biological properties of sandy clay loam soil was investigated on a 7m X 7m plot of land. Plot was divided into four portions and 7.5kg each of broiler, cockerel and layers waste was applied to plot A, B, and C in slurry form while plot D was used as control(no application) for eight weeks with two weeks interval. After the fourth application, samples were taken from the plot for laboratory analysis. The results showed th...
Abstract: In tropical countries like Nigeria where seasonal variation in climate is usually experienced, the earth routes which usually compose of lateritic soil are not usually stable. There is an increase of moisture content during the rainy season, which tends to weaken the strength of the soil while in the dry season; the dust in such roads is a great menace to the comfort and well-being of road users and adjacent inhabitant. This study looks at the effect of lime variation on moisture co...
Abstract This study re-examined the BMN model making use of the Sigma Plot software (based on the Levenberg – Marquardt algorithm) to generate modified versions of the BMN model that are specific for Ibadan, Kano and Onne and one version which applicable across the country, correcting some perceived shortcomings of the BMN. Records of climatic variables (Solar radiation, Maximum and Minimum Temperature, Maximum and Minimum Relative Humidity and Wind speed) were collected from three Internat...
Abstract In modern greenhouses, measurements of climate conditions are required to give the grower a better understanding on how each factor affect growth and how to achieve maximal crop productiveness. The measurements and resultant optimal conditional adjustments enable the grower to improve productivity and achieve maximum costs and energy savings. Data of climate parameters were collected and analyzed to determine night and diurnal change of solar radiation, air temperature and humidity i...
ABSTRACT Product temperature is a very important system parameter as well as an indicator of extrusion proc- ess. In this study, the product temperature response of a single screw extruder developed locally was investigated for the extrusion process of the flour and starch of maize and cassava which are grown in Nigeria in large quantity but with high post-harvest losses. These were compared with wheat flour which is commonly used for the production of alimentary pastes. A factorial experimen...