Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index (FI) and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design...Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index (FI) and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with the principal factors being pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 d) to study the changes occurring during the fermentation process. The study also used a 4 x 3 full factorial design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and drying time (0, 3 and 7 d) being the principal factors investigated to study the changes occurring during the drying process. FI and cut test of the beans were studied during fermentation as well as the drying process. FI of the beans increased significantly with pod storage and fermentation but decreased slightly during drying. FI of the unfermented beans increased slightly from 0.674 for the unstored pods to 0.763 after 10 days of pod storage. The FI of the fermented beans (six days fermentation) also increased from 1.390 for the unstored pods to 1.424 for pods stored for 10 days. It decreased from 1.389 at the start of drying for the unstored pods to 1.105 for pods stored for 10 days at the end of drying (seven days). FI of all the beans were however, above 1.0 at the end of fermentation and drying for all pod storage treatments. Cut test revealed that storage of pods for 3, 7 and 10 days increased the percentage of brown beans by 66%, 94% and 72%, respectively, by the sixth day of fermentation. Percentage of brown beans decreased to 61%, 76% and 63%, respectively, for pods stored for 3, 7 and 10 d at the end of drying (seven days). Cocoa pods can be stored for up to 10 days, fermented for six days and dried for seven days with the necessary formation of brown pigments characteristics of well fermented and dried cocoa beans.展开更多
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash crop for smallholder farmers in western Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is very low mainly because of strong soil acidity and poor soil fertility managemen...Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash crop for smallholder farmers in western Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is very low mainly because of strong soil acidity and poor soil fertility management. A study conducted to evaluate the effect of lime and mineral phosphorus fertilizer on yield components and yield of groundnut. The treatments consisted of three phosphorus rates (0, 46 and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5·</sub>ha<sup>-1</sup>), three lime rates (0, 6, and 11 ton lime·ha<sup>-1</sup>), and three groundnut varieties (local cultivar, Werer-961, and Werer-963) was laid-out as a randomized complete design in a factorial arrangement with three replications. The corresponding rates of phosphorus applied per pot of soil (7 kg) amounted to 0, 107 and 215 mg kg·soil<sup>-1</sup> and those of lime amounted to 0, 14, and 26 g kg·soil<sup>-1</sup>. The analysis of variance showed that phenological characters, yield, and yield components significantly affected by interaction of variety, phosphorus, and lime. The highest dry pod yield produced by Werer-963 (2 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) in response to the application 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 46 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup>. However, Werer-961 produced medium (1.5 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) at 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup> and the local cultivar produced minimum (1 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) at the application of 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup>. In terms of phosphorus yield efficiency index, Werer-963 was highly efficient (index of 1.71), and Werer-961 was moderately efficient (index of 0.6). However, the local cultivar was inefficient (index of 0.04). It is at, in acidic soil of the study area Werer-963 is the best to be cultivated with application of lime 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> and 46 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup> fertilizer, followed by Werer-961. The results of this pot experiment have revealed that farmers in the study area need to switch to cultivating the improved varieties of groundnut rather than local variety with the application of high rates of lime and moderate amounts of phosphorus.展开更多
文摘Investigations were conducted to establish effects of fermentation and drying on the fermentation index (FI) and cut test of pulp pre-conditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with the principal factors being pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 d) to study the changes occurring during the fermentation process. The study also used a 4 x 3 full factorial design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 d) and drying time (0, 3 and 7 d) being the principal factors investigated to study the changes occurring during the drying process. FI and cut test of the beans were studied during fermentation as well as the drying process. FI of the beans increased significantly with pod storage and fermentation but decreased slightly during drying. FI of the unfermented beans increased slightly from 0.674 for the unstored pods to 0.763 after 10 days of pod storage. The FI of the fermented beans (six days fermentation) also increased from 1.390 for the unstored pods to 1.424 for pods stored for 10 days. It decreased from 1.389 at the start of drying for the unstored pods to 1.105 for pods stored for 10 days at the end of drying (seven days). FI of all the beans were however, above 1.0 at the end of fermentation and drying for all pod storage treatments. Cut test revealed that storage of pods for 3, 7 and 10 days increased the percentage of brown beans by 66%, 94% and 72%, respectively, by the sixth day of fermentation. Percentage of brown beans decreased to 61%, 76% and 63%, respectively, for pods stored for 3, 7 and 10 d at the end of drying (seven days). Cocoa pods can be stored for up to 10 days, fermented for six days and dried for seven days with the necessary formation of brown pigments characteristics of well fermented and dried cocoa beans.
文摘Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash crop for smallholder farmers in western Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is very low mainly because of strong soil acidity and poor soil fertility management. A study conducted to evaluate the effect of lime and mineral phosphorus fertilizer on yield components and yield of groundnut. The treatments consisted of three phosphorus rates (0, 46 and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5·</sub>ha<sup>-1</sup>), three lime rates (0, 6, and 11 ton lime·ha<sup>-1</sup>), and three groundnut varieties (local cultivar, Werer-961, and Werer-963) was laid-out as a randomized complete design in a factorial arrangement with three replications. The corresponding rates of phosphorus applied per pot of soil (7 kg) amounted to 0, 107 and 215 mg kg·soil<sup>-1</sup> and those of lime amounted to 0, 14, and 26 g kg·soil<sup>-1</sup>. The analysis of variance showed that phenological characters, yield, and yield components significantly affected by interaction of variety, phosphorus, and lime. The highest dry pod yield produced by Werer-963 (2 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) in response to the application 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 46 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup>. However, Werer-961 produced medium (1.5 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) at 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup> and the local cultivar produced minimum (1 kg dry pod yield·pot<sup>-1</sup>) at the application of 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> lime and 92 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup>. In terms of phosphorus yield efficiency index, Werer-963 was highly efficient (index of 1.71), and Werer-961 was moderately efficient (index of 0.6). However, the local cultivar was inefficient (index of 0.04). It is at, in acidic soil of the study area Werer-963 is the best to be cultivated with application of lime 11 t·ha<sup>-1</sup> and 46 kg P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>·ha<sup>-1</sup> fertilizer, followed by Werer-961. The results of this pot experiment have revealed that farmers in the study area need to switch to cultivating the improved varieties of groundnut rather than local variety with the application of high rates of lime and moderate amounts of phosphorus.