Experiments were conducted to find out the role of maize weevil,<i> Sitophilus zeamais</i> Motsch. on spread of green fungus,<i> Aspergillus section flavi,</i> in different varieties of stored maize in laboratory in 2016. Lab experiment was conducted to find the role of weevil on spread of<i> A. flavus </i>on five main varieties of maize grown at Nepal in split plot design, namely, Arun-2, Arun-4, Manakamana-1, Manakamana-3, and Rampur composite with three replications at NAST, Khumaltar, from August to September 2016. One hundred grams of each maize variety was exposed to weevil along with fungus and with fungus only to see the spread of the fungus under presence and absence of weevil. Among the tested five maize varieties, the lowest infestation was observed on Rampur Composite (14.99&#x25;) while it was the highest on Manakamana-3 (87.70&#x25;). The highest mean infestation (75.58&#x25;) was found under weevil released condition while it was lower (62.16&#x25;) under nonreleased condition. In presence of weevil, the infestation of the fungus increased and in their absence the infestation was low which signifies the role of weevil in fungal spread. All indices indicate that Rampur composite is the best variety among the five tested varieties in terms of storage under the presence of fungus and weevils. This study also indicates ample scope for further study on different varieties of maize under several storage conditions.

K. Bhusal

D. Khanal

Role of Maize Weevil,<i> Sitophilus zeamais</i> Motsch. on Spread of<i> Aspergillus section flavi</i> in Different Nepalese Maize Varieties

The common bean,<i> Phaseolus vulgaris</i> L., is one of the most important sources of protein in Ethiopia and other developing countries. However, the Mexican bean weevil,<i> Zabrotes subfasciatus </i>(Boheman), is a major constraint of stored common bean that causes qualitative and quantitative losses. This study was conducted to assess farmers&#x2019; knowledge and perceptions of Mexican bean weevil, to examine farmers&#x2019; pest management practices, and to identify challenges of pest management practices to develop integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. A survey of 148 smallholder common bean farmers was conducted at Mareka and Loma districts in southern Ethiopia. The majority (75&#x25;) of the farmers stored common bean in polypropylene bags while less than 10&#x25; of the farmers stored beans in &#x2018;<i>Diya&#x2019;</i> (a traditional storage structure). Most (60.8&#x25;) farmers stored their beans in seed (threshed) form, and the majority (63.5&#x25;) of them stored their beans for 3-5 months. The majority of the farmers had knowledge about the Mexican bean weevil; they could identify damaged seeds based on the &#x2018;holes&#x2019; on the seed (72.3&#x25;) and circular &#x2018;windows&#x2019; on the seed (20.0&#x25;). About 45&#x25; of the farmers mentioned the high amount of loss at the time of storage. In addition, most farmers (53.4&#x25;) estimated 26-50&#x25; loss in storage. Most farmers reported the use of pesticidal plants for control of Mexican bean weevil, while only a few farmers reported they had applied insecticide in their store. Education level and family size had a positive and statistically significant impact on the use of pesticidal plants for the control of Mexican bean weevil. Furthermore, education level also influences the use of chemical insecticide. Results highlighted the need to use improved storage technology and to train farmers in postharvest handling practices as a component to develop IPM approach in order to minimize losses occurring along the value chains of the common bean.

Tariku Mesele

Kumela Dibaba

Esayas Mendesil

Farmers&#x2019; Perceptions of Mexican Bean Weevil,<i> Zabrotes subfasciatus</i> (Boheman), and Pest Management Practices in Southern Ethiopia

A field experiment was conducted during 2014 and 2016 rainy season at Tudun Wada, Kano and Shika, Zaria in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria in order to study the physiological responses of maize hybrids under low nitrogen. The experiment consisted of two nitrogen levels 0 and 120&#x2009;N&#x2009;kg&#x2009;ha<sup>&#x2212;1</sup> as main plot and 8 drought-tolerant maize hybrids and 2 controls as subplot laid out in a randomized split plot design and replicated three times. Physiological parameters of hybrids were significantly affected by low nitrogen at both locations. Interaction between hybrids and nitrogen was significantly affected at both locations. Based on these results, application of nitrogen significantly increased the physiological growth indices of maize hybrids. The extent of increment in physiological reactions was additionally higher in Zaria in view of higher soil natural carbon and nitrogen and higher precipitation was better dispersed at this area. However recent hybrids were more tolerant to nitrogen stress and out-yielded the older hybrids. Therefore the recently released hybrids were more adapted to abiotic stresses.

A. W. Abubakar

A. A. Manga

A. Y. Kamara

A. I. Tofa

Physiological Evaluations of Maize Hybrids under Low Nitrogen

Twelve field pea genotypes were evaluated in seven environments in Eastern Amhara in main production season (2010-2012). The objective of this trial was to identify stable and high yielding field pea genotype for production in Eastern Amhara. The trial was conducted using randomized complete block design with three replications. Combined analysis of variance for grain yield revealed that genotypes, environments, and genotype by environment interaction effect were highly significant (P &#x2264; 0.01). The environments, GEI, and genotypes were accounted for 77.47&#x25;, 13.83&#x25;, and 4.37&#x25;, of the total sum squares, respectively, indicating that field pea grain yield was significantly affected by the changes in the environment, followed by GEI and genotypic effect. The candidate genotype, EH-03-002, showed 14.42&#x25; and 44.87&#x25; yield advantage over the standard and local checks, respectively. Considering the seven environments data and field performance evaluation during the variety verification trial, the National Variety Releasing Committee has approved the official release of EH-03-002 with the vernacular name of &#x201c;Yewaginesh&#x201d; for moisture deficit areas of Wag Lasta and similar agroecologies.

Yirga Kindie

Aemiro Bezabih

Wubeshet Beshir

Zinabu Nigusie

Zelalem Asemamaw

Antenh Adem

Birke Tebabele

Genet Kebede

Tesfay Alemayehu

Fentaw Assres

Field Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) Variety Development for Moisture Deficit Areas of Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

In Ghana, sesame is cultivated in some districts of northern Ghana. Genotypes cultivated are land races that are low yielding leading to decline in production. There is the need for improvement of these land races to generate high yielding cultivars. Characterization of genetic diversity of the sesame land races will be of great value in assisting in parental lines selection for sesame breeding programmes in Ghana. Twenty-five sesame land races were collected from five districts in northern Ghana noted for sesame cultivation. Seeds collected were planted in three replicates in randomized complete block design and were evaluated for a number of morphological characters. Data collected were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a dendrogram showing similarity between the accessions were drawn. Data on number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, and plant height at flowering were subjected to analysis of variance using GenStat Discovery Edition 4. Molecular genetic diversity was assessed by using thirty eight SSR markers widely distributed across sesame genome to characterize the materials. Twenty-one out of the 38 primers were polymorphic. Cluster analyses using the Euclidean similarity test and a complete link clustering method were used to make a dendrogram out of the morphological data. Analysis of variance showed that capsule number was significantly different; a range of 54.9 and 146.7 was produced. The number of seeds per capsule varied significantly and the variation between highest and lowest accession in seed production was 33&#x25;. Plant height was also significantly different ranging from 60.6 to 94.1&#x2009;cm. Using morphological traits the accessions clustered into two major groups and two minor groups and variation among accessions were 10-61&#x25;. On the other hand, SSR marker-based dendrogram revealed five major and two minor groups. It showed that variation among the accessions was low, 10-20&#x25;. Heterozygosity was 0.52, total alleles produced were 410, and average allele per locus was 19.52. Six accessions, C3, C4, S5, W1, W3, and W5 fell in five different clusters in the SSR dendrogram and in six clusters in the morphomolecular based dendrogram. These accessions were noted for high capsule number per plant and seeds number per capsule and are recommended for consideration as potential parental lines for breeding programme for high yield.

Raphael Adu-Gyamfi

Ruth Prempeh

Issahaku Zakaria

Diversity Assessment of Some Sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i> L.) Genotypes Cultivated in Northern Ghana Using Morphological and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers

Genetic variability is the fundamental requirement of any crop breeding program to develop superior cultivars. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic variability and find out the correlation among the different quantitative traits of rainfed early lowland rice. The experiment was conducted consecutively two years during 2015 and 2016 in wet season across the four different locations in Regional Agricultural Research Station, Khajura, National Wheat Research Program, Bhairahawa, National Maize Research Program, Rampur, and National Rice Research Program, Hardinath, along the Terai region of Nepal representing subtropical agroclimate. Seven genotypes including Hardinath-1 as standard check variety were evaluated in the randomized complete block design with three replications. Various quantitative traits were measured to investigate the variability and correlation coefficients. All the genotypes and locations showed significant variations for all the traits considered. Genotypic coefficient of variation was lower than phenotypic coefficient of variation for all traits studied. The magnitudes of genotypic coefficient of variations were relatively higher for grain yield, 1000-grain weight, and days to heading. The highest broad sense heritability of 94% was recorded in days to maturity and the lowest heritability of 16% was observed in plant height. Positive and highly significant correlations were found both in genotypic and phenotypic levels between days to heading and days to maturity (r<sub>g</sub>=0.9999<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M1" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><path id="g50-43" d="M486 158C486 177 478 202 466 220C413 228 386 236 336 262C386 288 413 297 466 304C478 323 486 347 485 366C470 376 444 381 422 380C389 338 368 319 321 288C323 345 329 372 349 422C339 442 322 461 305 470C289 461 271 442 262 422C281 372 287 345 290 288C243 319 222 338 189 380C167 381 142 376 125 366C125 347 133 322 145 304C198 296 225 288 275 262C225 236 198 227 145 220C133 201 125 177 126 158C141 148 167 143 189 144C222 186 243 205 290 236C288 179 282 152 262 102C272 82 289 63 306 54C322 63 340 82 350 102C330 152 324 179 321 236C368 205 390 186 422 144C444 143 470 148 486 158Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>,</span> r<sub>p</sub>=0.997<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M2" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>),</span> days to heading and grain yield (r<sub>g</sub> =0.9999<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M3" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>,</span> r<sub>p=</sub> 0.9276<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M4" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>),</span> and days to maturity and grain yield (r<sub>g</sub> =0.9796<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M5" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>,</span> r<sub>p</sub>=0.9174<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M6" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>).</span> However, negative and highly significant genetic correlation was observed between plant height and 1000-grain weight (r<sub>g</sub> = -0.9999<span class="nowrap"><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.834pt" id="M7" height="13.9365pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -10.1025 12.486 13.9365" width="12.486pt"><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,0,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.56,-5.741)"><use xlink:href="#g50-43"/></g></svg>).</span> Thus results indicated that days to heading, days to maturity, grain yield, 1000-grain weight demonstrating higher heritability and remarkable genetic advance could be considered the most appropriate traits for improvement and selection of trait to achieve stable and high yielding early rice genotypes under rainfed environments.

Dev Nidhi Tiwari

Santosh Raj Tripathi

Mahendra Prasad Tripathi

Narayan Khatri

Bishwas Raj Bastola

Genetic Variability and Correlation Coefficients of Major Traits in Early Maturing Rice under Rainfed Lowland Environments of Nepal

Income diversification by farm households has gained the attention of researchers and policy makers due to its commonness especially in developing countries. This study sought to empirically investigate the determinants of off-farm income among smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using a sample of 300 rice farmers. A double-hurdle model was used to determine the factors influencing participation in off-farm work as well as the predictors of actual amounts earned from working outside the farm. The results revealed that gender, farming experience, years of education, and access to credit are the factors determining participation in off-farm work while farming experience, years of education, and geographical location are the determinants of income from off-farm work. The paper concludes that measures to enhance rural income diversification will spur the rural economy and these measures should seek to address the problem of low level of formal education in rural areas.

Benjamin Tetteh Anang

Richard W. N. Yeboah

Determinants of Off-Farm Income among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana: Application of a Double-Hurdle Model

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<p><em>Advances in Agriculture</em> publishes research on the cultivation of soil and crops, and the rearing of livestock. Its focus is on new methods and technologies for improving agricultural processes, increasing yield, conservation and breeding.</p>


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Advances in Agriculture - Table of contents 2019

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Advances in Agriculture publishes research on the cultivation of soil and crops, and the rearing of livestock. Its focus is on new methods and technologies for improving agricultural processes, increasing yield, conservation and breeding.

Advances in Agriculture