The importance of agricultural innovations for raising the living standards of farmers has received substantial attention from the economic and political communities. In Ghana, cassava serves as an important source of...The importance of agricultural innovations for raising the living standards of farmers has received substantial attention from the economic and political communities. In Ghana, cassava serves as an important source of calorie and cash crop. Production constraints such as the cassava mosaic disease caused by virus have limit farmers access to productivity potentials and marketing. Breeding efforts attempting to address this constraints have had some success such as the mutant Tech Bankye virus resistant variety. This research, therefore, analysed the impact of some production input on mutant cassava productivity growth in Ghana with the use of Cobb-Douglas production function. Results show that farmers cultivate the mutant variety in addition to other traditional varieties to averse risking in marketing and income. The average cost of production of the mutant variety is higher compared to that of the traditional variety. Eighty percent of the farmers complained difficulty in accessing market for the mutant variety because it could not replace the traditional variety in terms of its texture for the local native ＂fufu＂ production and ＂ampesi＂ and also deteriorate quickly in storage. However, for industrial production of ＂gari＂ and starch, the mutant is the best. Both the mutant cassava and the traditional varieties showed increasing returns to scale, however, the returns to scale of the mutant variety were lower compared to that of the traditional variety. Also, the opportunity cost of forgoing the traditional varieties to cultivating the mutant variety was very high making adopted farmers hesitant to continue it cultivation.展开更多
Different studies show that the altitude regions of the State of Santa Catarina have great potential for the production of grapevine varieties. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenological development, d...Different studies show that the altitude regions of the State of Santa Catarina have great potential for the production of grapevine varieties. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenological development, determine the thermal requirements in degree-days （DD）, the index heliothermic （IH） and climatic variables during the vegetative and productive development of varieties Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Campo Belo do Sul （27°40′04″ S, 50°44′48″ W, altitude 950 m a.s.l.） and Sao Joaquim （28°15′13″ S, 49°57′02″ W, altitude 1,400 m a.s.l.） during 2012/2013 cycle. Phenological stages evaluated were bud break, full bloom, veraison and maturity. Higher temperatures, global radiation, PAR and lower volumes of rainfall were the main climatic parameters that differentiated Campo Belo do Sul from Sao Joaquim. Due to occurrence of higher temperatures, Campo Belo do Sul presented thermal summation around 40% higher than Sao Joaquim. The low temperatures of Sao Joaquim extended the period of grape ripening and were responsible for the highest levels of titratable acidity and the higher concentrations of anthocyanins and total polyphenols in both varieties. The results show that in the altitude ranges studied （900 and 1400 m）, climatic behavior and viticultural performance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were suitable for producing quality wines.展开更多
文摘The importance of agricultural innovations for raising the living standards of farmers has received substantial attention from the economic and political communities. In Ghana, cassava serves as an important source of calorie and cash crop. Production constraints such as the cassava mosaic disease caused by virus have limit farmers access to productivity potentials and marketing. Breeding efforts attempting to address this constraints have had some success such as the mutant Tech Bankye virus resistant variety. This research, therefore, analysed the impact of some production input on mutant cassava productivity growth in Ghana with the use of Cobb-Douglas production function. Results show that farmers cultivate the mutant variety in addition to other traditional varieties to averse risking in marketing and income. The average cost of production of the mutant variety is higher compared to that of the traditional variety. Eighty percent of the farmers complained difficulty in accessing market for the mutant variety because it could not replace the traditional variety in terms of its texture for the local native ＂fufu＂ production and ＂ampesi＂ and also deteriorate quickly in storage. However, for industrial production of ＂gari＂ and starch, the mutant is the best. Both the mutant cassava and the traditional varieties showed increasing returns to scale, however, the returns to scale of the mutant variety were lower compared to that of the traditional variety. Also, the opportunity cost of forgoing the traditional varieties to cultivating the mutant variety was very high making adopted farmers hesitant to continue it cultivation.
文摘Different studies show that the altitude regions of the State of Santa Catarina have great potential for the production of grapevine varieties. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenological development, determine the thermal requirements in degree-days （DD）, the index heliothermic （IH） and climatic variables during the vegetative and productive development of varieties Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Campo Belo do Sul （27°40′04″ S, 50°44′48″ W, altitude 950 m a.s.l.） and Sao Joaquim （28°15′13″ S, 49°57′02″ W, altitude 1,400 m a.s.l.） during 2012/2013 cycle. Phenological stages evaluated were bud break, full bloom, veraison and maturity. Higher temperatures, global radiation, PAR and lower volumes of rainfall were the main climatic parameters that differentiated Campo Belo do Sul from Sao Joaquim. Due to occurrence of higher temperatures, Campo Belo do Sul presented thermal summation around 40% higher than Sao Joaquim. The low temperatures of Sao Joaquim extended the period of grape ripening and were responsible for the highest levels of titratable acidity and the higher concentrations of anthocyanins and total polyphenols in both varieties. The results show that in the altitude ranges studied （900 and 1400 m）, climatic behavior and viticultural performance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were suitable for producing quality wines.
