Effect of Water Application Rate on Growth Parameters of Farro 44 Rice Grown in a Selected Irrigation Scheme in Niger State, Nigeria

Water and land are the necessary agricultural inputs, and both are scarce these days. This study aims to determine the effect of water application rate on selected planting and crop parameters of Farro 44 rice during dry season farming and its growth response. The randomised complete block design was employed for the Farro 44 rice variety, with each plot size 4 m2 (2 m × 2 m) for ease of monitoring. A 0.3 m bound space separated each plot. The crop spacing was 0.2 m × 0.3 m, 0.3 m × 0.3 m, and 0.3 m × 0.4 m, respectively, for the row-to-row and plant-to-plant distance. The data collected were statistically analysed. The height of the faro 44 variety of rice ranged between 35.50 cm to 44.00 cm for plots with 2 tillers per hill, while that of 4 and 6 tillers per hill ranged between 35.50 cm to 41.40 cm and 35.50 cm to 39.30 cm, respectively. Minimum damage of 2.32% was seen for plant hills of 2 tillers, while 9.21% and 11.89% were observed for tillers of 4 and 6, respectively. It was seen that plots with the highest spacing of 30 × 40 cm and tillers of 2 per hill were observed to perform better than those of the other plots within the experimental pots. Such plots had a maximum plant tiller of 37 when counted, with the height of the plants reaching 44 cm after 70 days of planting. In conclusion, farmers within the study area of the Kanko community in Niger State. Nigeria appears not to have any known knowledge of the soil they are cultivating and the water they use as a source of irrigation within the farming areas. It was further concluded that the rice crops would be produced maximally with minimal water application to the rice field.

Effect of Tillage Practices on Hydro-Physical Properties of Soils in a Rice-Grown Environment in North Central Nigeria

This study details soil’s physical and chemical properties in a rice-grown environment in Minna environs Niger State, Nigeria, under different soil and water conservation practices. Soil samples were collected at 0 - 10 cm, 10 - 20 cm and 20 - 30 cm, respectively, using a soil auger to determine their physical and chemical properties such as moisture content, particle size, bulk density, particle density, porosity and organic matter. The textural classification determined the percentage dominance of the soil types in each study site location. The moisture content of site 1 ranged between 14.3% to 13.7%, site 2 ranged between 13.2% to 10.2%, site 3 ranged between 15.4% to 13.2%, site 4 ranged between 15.6% to 13.6% and site 5 ranged between 16.1% to 10.9%. The clay content of sites 3, 4 and 5 is higher than that of sites 1 and 2, while the silt contents of sites 1, 2 and 3 are higher than that of sites 4 and 5. The mean value of soil organic carbon from each study location was 2.37%, 2.03%, 2.43%, 2.07% and 2.17% for sites 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Therefore, site 1 is susceptible to erosion because of poor infiltration rate and well-ploughed or cultivated land by the tractor (harrowed). The particle sizes analysis indicated that the soil type in Site 1 and Site 2 is mainly sandy loam, while Site 3 and Site 5 are mainly loamy and predominantly clay loam in Site 4.

Spatiotemporal Variation of Land Use Pattern and Land Cover Changes in Gidan Kwano Watershed Area in North Central Nigeria

Land Management Systems (LMS) are institutional frameworks complex by the tasks they must achieve, national, cultural, political, and judicial settings and technology. The urbanisation process in Nigeria has increased since the 1960s because of the crude oil boom era and other government-backed industrial initiatives and investments. This study employed the use of both primary and secondary sources of data. Preliminary data comprise methods of land use, types of agricultural activities carried out and the process of working on the land by the farmers within a 10 km radius. The secondary data involved the interactive digital and visual techniques of the Geographical Information system for five seasons, with each having a ten-year interval span within 1975 to 2015. Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS 2013 and XLSTAT 2015. Five land use and land cover types were observed within the Gidan Kwano watershed, which includes wetlands (WL), water bodies (WB), bare grounds (BG), vegetation (VG), and settlements (SL). The most prevalent landform in the study area during the 1975 period was the vegetative area which was 50% of the total landmass. Thus, the vegetation (VG) covered half of the Gidan Kwano watershed. However, the vegetative area decreased substantially during the study period of 1975 to 2015. It was observed that the vegetation (VG) within the study area had the highest percentage of coverage, of 34%. During the study period, a significant decrease was observed in the WL, WB and VG areas. It was also concluded that due to the built-up places, the infiltration of surface runoff from rainwater would be drastically reduced as most of the sections are paved for construction activities while a section of the study area is covered with rock outcrops and farmlands.

Analysis and survey of the application of solar dryers in eastern Nigeria

A survey on the use of solar dryers for drying purposes was carried out in some communities in eastern Nigeria.The objective of the study was to ascertain the extent uses of solar dryers by local farmers and the rural populace.The survey method included oral interview and questionnaire administration.The results of the study revealed that the practical use of solar dryers is absent domestically and industrially.However,great enthusiasm was shown by the farmers in the use of solar crop dryers if their performance is satisfactory with respect to quality and quantity of products dried at a given time interval.Most farmers rejected the idea of establishing communally maintained and operated systems but preferred commercialized systems where payments are made per unit quantity of products dried.The study therefore recommends the development of affordable solar crop dryers with auxiliary heat sources to mitigate the effects of daily and seasonal fluctuation in solar radiation in order to cope with the demands of a profit oriented commercial drying system.Such a system holds a lot of promises for entrepreneurs.

Effect of foaming agent,foam stabilizer and whipping time on drying process of tomato paste under different drying equipment

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effect of foaming agent(egg white(EW)),foam stabilizer(carboxyl methyl cellulose(CMC))and whipping time on drying rate and quality of tomato(Lycopersicon esculentus)paste dried under air oven,microwave oven and mechanical dryer.A 43 factorial experiment in Randomized Complete Block Design(RCBD)was used to study the effect of four levels each of foaming agent(5%,10%,15%and 20%EW),foam stabilizer(0.15%,0.30%,0.45%and 0.60%CMC)and whipping time(3,5,7 and 9 min)on the drying rate and the quality of foam-mat dried tomato powder in the three drying equipment.Each trial was performed in triplicates making a total number of 576 samples that were individually tested and measured.25 g sample of the paste was dried to a moisture content of 7.60%(wb)for 8 h in mechanical dryer and oven dryer at temperatures of 55◦C and 50◦C,respectively,and 10 min in microwave oven at 540 W.Data obtained from the experiments were statistically analyzed using the analysis of variance(ANOVA)while the Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was used to compare the means.Results showed that the drying rate increased with increase in foaming agent,foam stabilizer and whipping with minimum values of 9.21 g/h obtained in mechanical dryer,9.31 g/h in air oven and 8.05 g/h in microwave oven.Increase in foaming agent,foam stabilizer and whipping time did not cause any adverse effect on vitamin C,ash,protein,fat,carbohydrate,crude fiber contents of the samples.Samples reached a stable moisture content of 7.60%(wb)in less than 8 h in mechanical dryer and air and less than 10 min in microwave oven.The results of the study showed that EW,CMC and whipping time influenced the drying rate and quality of foam-mat dried tomato powder.

Interrelationship between some morphometric parameters and bodyweight of tank-based cultured African catfish(Clarias gariepinus Burchell,1822)

Morphometrics and fish bodyweight studies have shown great importance in estimation of productivity and stock assessment for some fish species. Herein, the aim of this study was to identify the morphometric parameter(s) that has most direct correlation with bodyweight of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). The experimental layouts were four groups of experimental units, each group was replicated twice. Morphometric parameters considered in this study were total length, standard length, head length, head width and snout length. Data collected were processed and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation analyses at 5% significant level. Results revealed significantly high correlations between bodyweight and morphometric parameters, with values ranging from 0.834 to 0.977 (upper and lower limits for total and snout lengths respectively). The results further revealed that relationship between bodyweight and morphometric parameters followed third-degree polynomial, with R2 ranging from 0.700 to 0.969 (upper and lower limits for total and snout lengths respectively). Significant high correlations (>0.85) exist between morphometric parameters selected for this study. In conclusion, in sampling programs of African catfish where the aim is to select fishes with high bodyweights, emphasis should be given to fishes with highest total length.

Influence of automobile industrial wastewater on soil quality

Reuse of industrial wastewater(effluent)for irrigation purpose is a common practice.However,lack of adequate treatment of the effluent can cause soil deterioration,vegetation destruction and contamination of the aquatic environment.These adverse effects necessitated the study of wastewater irrigation in Emene Industrial Layout,Enugu State,Nigeria.Wastewater and soil samples were collected,analyzed and subjected to Analysis of Variance(ANOVA)for Completely Randomized Design(CRD)at 5% probability level using GENSTAT software.The results obtained from the study were compared with FAO soil and water standards.The wastewater analysis suggested that contamination at the untreated stage was very high and results at the treatment level were within the FAO reuse range.The study also found wide variation in chemical status of industrial wastewater treated soil.Almost all the values for the wastewater treated soil were not within the FAO irrigated soil chemical properties standards.This suggests high re-contamination along the open channel(from non-point sources)before reuse.This calls for proper monitoring and treatment of the industrial effluent prior to irrigation application.

Effects of crop residues for animal consumption and soil enhancement on the electricity generation potential of residues:A case study of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district,Ghana

Many studies have estimated the potential of crop residues for energy generation globally and recognized its great potential,especially in rural areas where on-grid electricity is uneconomical.However,crop residues have other equally important uses as animal feed and as mulch for soil enhancement,especially in rural farming communities.Nevertheless,most of the known studies have neglected the estimation of the quantity of crop residues that will be required for feeding animals and also for the enhancement of soil through mulching in their energy potential estimation from crop residues.Neglecting these two important uses can lead to the over-exploitation of the residues for energy generation at the expense of conservation agriculture practices as well as depriving animals of quality feed which can lead to low crop yield and animal production,with the ability to cause hunger and poverty.This study has assessed the potential of electricity generation from agricultural residues in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district of Ghana using gasification technology,taking cognizance of the proportion of residues needed for animal consumption and soil enhancement.The results of the study indicate that out of the 207646.22 t of residues that can be generated from maize,yam,cassava,millet,sorghum,and groundnut,26830.36 t(representing 13%)will be required by sheep,goats,and cows for consumption,and 13936.17 t(representing 7%)will be required for mulching soils where the crops are planted.Also,it was found that a total of 592.17 MW∙h of electricity can be generated from crop residues without animal consumption and soil enhancement needs,while 461.89 MW∙h could be generated from the residues,considering animal feed and soil enhancement.This study has indicated that it is not enough to consider soil enhancement and animal feeding in agricultural biomass power generation through recovery factors without the exact quantification of residues required for these purposes since this can lead to a violation of conservation agricultural practice.Hence,it is concluded that the proper estimation of residues required for soil enhancement needs and animal feeding must be considered in the estimation of crop residues available for electricity generation following the method proposed in this study.It is further concluded from this study that,the proper utilization of crop residues serve as an important resource for meeting the electricity demand of the inhabitants in the study location without compromising on the residues that will be required for the consumption of all the animals in the location as well as for enhancement of the soil.

Thermo-physical properties of rubber seed useful in the design of storage structure

This study was carried out to determine the thermo-physical properties of rubber seed in the moisture range of 9.1%to 14.8%(w.b.).The length,width,thickness,measured surface area,bulk density and true density increased with increasing moisture content with high coefficients of determination(significant at p<0.05).Their optimum values at 14.8%moisture content were 17.00 mm,11.94 mm,8.26 mm,285.20 mm^(2),295.00 kg/m^(3) and 470.67 kg/m^(3),respectively.The angle of repose increased as moisture content increased with low coefficient of determination and has optimum value of 28.81°at 14.8%moisture content.The specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity decreased linearly while thermal diffusivity increased exponentially with an increase in moisture content(significant at p<0.05).The optimum values of specific heat capacity,thermal conductivity and diffusivity at 14.8%moisture content were 55.84 kJ/(kg.K),0.032 W/(m.K)and 1.93×10^(-9) m^(2)/s,respectively.The results are essential in the design of storage structure for rubber seed.

Proctor cone penetrometer for in-situ soil strength studies in Nigeria

Investigations of in-situ or laboratory soil strength properties,particularly the resistance of soil to penetration,usually referred to as cone index(CI)are often required in soil tillage and traction studies.This helps in the analysis of the interactions of both tillage tools and tractive elements with the soil.However,penetrometer,the instrument used for measuring this important parameter(CI),is not readily available in Nigeria.Following the recommendations in ASAE standards,a functional proctor cone penetrometer for soft soils has been developed and calibrated.The major parts include the handle,made of half-inch galvanized pipe,constructed in such a way that it can be screwed on and off the pressure shaft conveniently,the graduated pressure and penetration shafts made of stainless steel;the spring loaded pressure chamber,and a cone probe.The penetrometer was calibrated by applying known forces on the handle while noting corresponding penetrations and displacements on the graduated pressure shaft.A performance test was carried out on a clayey loam soil to compare the readings obtained from the developed penetrometer and an imported one.The major difference between the two is that while one is very expensive and scarce to come by,the other is produced locally with locally sourced materials and technology.The cost of the imported one is ten times more than that of the local one.The mean CI obtained for twenty-four random samples on the soil surface for the test area at 18 cm depth was found to be 1.4358 MPa for the local,and 1.5096 MPa for the imported.Regression analysis of the two sets of values of CI for the local and the foreign showed a strong correlation(R2=0.779,P<0.05).This implies that the locally produced proctor penetrometer is reliable for measurements of CI at 0-18 cm soil depth for soft soils.