Books and Book Chapters: Recent submissions

Now showing items 321-340 of 977

    • Security at agricultural research stations 

      Austin, P.D. (1996)
      Research stations are difficult to secure; yet security is especially important, because research results are lost if experimental crops, equipment and data are stolen. Security aims to protect life and proper-ty. Funding for security may seem wasted, but only one incident can cost more than investment in security. Security begins with good relations to the surrounding community. Security includes the establishment of a security force, appropriate station layout and fencing, and correct security ...

    • Irrigation systems for research farms 

      Hartley, P.V. (1996)
      Irrigation is as old as civilization. Irrigation supplements the water available from rainfall and ground water of the real value of irrigation is not so much in preventing a total as getting Maximum yield if irrigation is for profit, the Increase in crop value due to irrigation must be equal to or more than the cost of the irrigation system. Only good management practices bring good results.

    • Landscape design on research stations 

      Butler, A.C. (1996)
      Landscaping of research stations is important for soil conservation, health of staff, privacy, security, and aesthetics. Landscape design gives the first impression of a research station. If the design is efficient and maintenance is regular, few problems arise.

    • Gender analysis in agricultural production 

      Buckland, L.; Haleegoah, J. (1996)
      "Gender" is a concept used in social sciences to look at roles and activities of men and women. These roles are often socially defined, and shaped by the traditions and beliefs of a particular culture. While women contribute between 60-80 % of agricultural production in developing countries, women farmers are least likely to benefit from agricultural extension services and technologies that could improve their production. Therefore, theoretical and methodological work in gender analysis in agriculture ...

    • Preservation of genetic resources by seed storage 

      Ng, N.Q. (1996)
      Several ways exist of maintaining the genetic resources of crops. The cheapest and most convenient way is by storing seeds. However, not all crops can be preserved by storing their seeds, because they are either vegetatively propagated and/or do not produce seeds, or the period of their seed viability is short. Maximizing the longevity of seeds requires a good seed store and knowledge of the principles of seed preservation. This document discusses types of seed, techniques for preparing seeds for ...

    • Nutrition and quality of maize 

      Okoruwa, A.; Kling, J. (1996)
      Maize is a major cereal crop. Worldwide, wheat, maize, and rice are produced in greater quantities than any other crop. Of these crops, maize has the highest average yield per hectare. Maize is a good source of energy for both humans and animals. It is high-yielding, easy to process and readily digested. Maize is deficient in lysine and tryptophan, however, consumption with a legume improves protein quality in the diet. The oil is of good quality. Varieties differ in physical and chemical properties ...

    • Mechanized minimum and notill crop production for research farms 

      Claassen, S.L. (1996)
      Minimum-tillage has several advantages over conventional tillage. It is especially beneficial for tropical soils, which are easily ruined by conventional tillage operations. Minimum-tillage, strip-tillage and no-till farming can also save energy and labor costs.

    • Sustainable agroforestry systems for the tropics; concepts and examples 

      Kang, B.T. (1996)
      Integration of woody species with annual crops in agroforestry (AF) systems can enhance sustainability of production systems in the humid and subhumid tropics under low-input conditions. Agro-forestry has short and long-term protective and socioeconomic benefits. The various agroforestry systems can he classified based on the main component of the systems. Their structural arrangements, and based also on their functional attributes and socioeconomic scale of management and input use. Stable ...

    • Labor requirement in assessment of technologies 

      Dvorak, K.A. (1996)
      Family labor is a valuable and "scarce" resource. It is through the application of labor that the farming family is able to use natural resources such as soil, water, vegetation and climate and purchased in• puts such as fertilizer, chemicals, and tools. In developing an improved technology to increase productivity or enhance sustainability, the labor requirements must be evaluated. For full understanding of the labor requirement for an indigenous or improved technology, seasonality and specialization ...

    • Exploratory surveys in research planning 

      Dvorak, K.A.; Izac, A. (1996)
      Key- informant surveys and village-level group interviews are methods for conducting socioeconomic inventories of resource management and resource availability in farming systems. This document offers suggestions for designing Questions and conducting interviews with discussions on applications of each type of survey. The document also includes sample surveys.

    • Hand crossing of cowpeas 

      Myers, G.O. (1996)
      In genetic improvement of cowpea, one plant or variety rarely has every desirable characteristic. The recombination of desirable characteristics from different parental sources is achieved by crossing plants and the necessary cross pollinations. This document presents a method for the cross pollination of cowpea developed at UTA.

    • Gestion du materiel de labour dans les stations agricoles 

      Claassen, S.L. (1996)
      L'objectif du labour est de creer un environnement propice a la germination des semences et au developpement racinaire et de lutter contre les adventices. La recherche a demontre que, sur les sols tropicaux, Ie labour ne sert qu'a lutter contre les adventices. En general, Ie labour abime Ie sol. n est preferable d'utiliser des moyens de lutte chimique. Dans beaucoup de pays Africains, toutefois, les herbicides ne sont pas disponibles et Ie labour traditionnel s'avere toujours necessaire. Le labour ...

    • Macrocharacterization of agricultural systems in Central Africa: an overview 

      Manyong, Victor M.; Smith, J.; Weber, S.S.; Jagtap, S.S.; Oyewole, B. (1996)

    • Management of soybean diseases 

      Akem, C. (1996)
      More than 100 pathogens attack soybean, but only a third of them are of economic importance. Yield reduction varies between 10 % and 30 %. Soybean diseases are caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. Disease management is based on several control principles that should be combined preferably in an integrated pest management approach.

    • Cassava: a cash crop in Africa 

      Nweke, F. (1996)

    • Major insects pests of maize in Africa: biology and control 

      Bosque-Pérez, N.A. (1995)
      Insect pests severely limit the production of maize, one of the most important cereal crops world-wide. Losses reach millions of dollars annually. Control includes cultural, chemical, and biological methods in addition to plant resistance. Integrated pest management combines control methods in an environ-mentally sound manner. Effective control requires knowledge on damage, biology, distribution, and life cycles of insects.

    • Management of tillage equipment on research farms 

      Claassen, S.L. (1995)
      The goal of tillage is to provide a suitable environment for seed germination and root growth, and to control weeds. Research on tropical soils has shown that tillage is only useful to control weeds. In general, tillage damages the soil. Chemical weed control is preferable. In many African countries however, herbicides are not available, and conventional tillage will still be necessary. Primary tillage is an aggressive operation that leaves the surface rough, while secondary tillage equipment level ...

    • Farm records and work planning on agricultural research farms 

      Couper, D.C. (1995)
      Research scientists must have access to field records to ensure that their experimental treatments are neither masked nor affected by previous land usage. Research fields must be identified on the ground and accurate records kept of all operations and treatments carried out. Several procedures have been developed at IITA which help to ensure accurate field records are maintained and so research accuracy is improved.

    • Aquatic resources of agriculture research stations 

      Couper, D.C. (1995)
      Every research station requires water. Local urban water supplies may be unreliable. Land storage tanks may be required. A research station may need to develop its own water supply by constructing wells or dams.

    • Improvement of soil fertility and weed suppression through legume-based technologies 

      Collaborative Group on Maize-Based Systems Research (1995)
      Increasing populations in West and Central Africa leads to intensification of land use and reduced fallow periods. Agricultural intensification in turn, results in degradation of soil fertility, erosion, spread of diseases, pests and weeds. Leguminous plants, integrated into existing cropping systems, currently offer the best potential to overcome constraints. The Collaborative group on Maize-Based Systems Research (COMBS), through on-farm research, tries to match available technologies with a ...