KWAME NKRUMAH HOPE

Fertilizer formulations and time of harvest are among the important factors that influences the yield and quality of vegetable crops. The use of NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer and harvesting at 80-90 days after sowing (DAS) are common practices among carrot farmers in Ghana. In this study, we investigated the effects of different NPK fertilizer formulations and time of harvest on physical quality and root yield of carrot cultivated in the “Bediese soil series” and “Nyankpala soil series” of Ghana. A 5 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted with three replications at both locations. The fertilizers [(i) 15-15-15 (ii) 23-10-5 (iii) 20-10-10 (iv) 23-10-10, at 300 kg ha each and (v) control (no fertilizer)] were applied to the main plot whiles time of harvest [(i) 80 (ii) 90 and (iii) 100 DAS)] were the sub plot treatments. There was no significant (P>0.05) interaction effect of the treatments on all the parameters measured at both locations. In the “Bediese soil”, the application of 300 kg ha NPK (20-10-10) fertilizer significantly (P<0.05) improved the physical quality of the roots which resulted in the highest marketable yield. Moreover, harvesting at 100 DAS also increased the physical quality of the roots and gave the highest marketable yield compared with harvesting at 80 and 90 DAS. Generally, the different fertilizers and times of harvest did not affect (P>0.05) the physical quality and yield of carrot cultivated in the “Nyankpala soil”. The study has shown that the application of 300 kg ha NPK (20-10-10) fertilizer and harvesting at 100 DAS can be used to increase the yield and improve the physical quality of carrot cultivated in the “Bediese soil series” of Ghana.

The vast majority of Lesotho’s rural population is reliant on agriculture for survival. However, Lesotho, Southern Africa is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which has a negative impact on rural livelihoods. Furthermore, despite the fiscal challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesotho’s National Climate Change Policy Implementation Strategy has been hampered by implementation issues and has yet to be implemented. This sparked the necessity for this research, which aims to inform the government of Lesotho on how farmers are combating climate change in their own tiny way. This study employs a survey to gather data from 200 farmers from farming villages across the country’s 10 regions. According to the findings of this study, farmers have experienced climate change in the areas of drying rivers, delayed on-set of rainfall, and excessive frost or cold. As a result of these events, farmers have experienced poorer agricultural yields, increased insect and diseas...

A 5-week study was carried out to determine the effect of Chromolaena odorata leaf meal (COLM) on growth performance, haematological parameters and carcass characteristics of commercial COBB-500 broiler chickens. The study was set up as a completely randomized design with four (4) treatments replicated three (3) times. The four dietary treatments contained 0, 10, 20 or 30 g kg -1 of COLM. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among treatments in feed intake, water consumption, final body weight, weight gain and carcass characteristics. Feed conversion ratio was significantly influenced (P 0.05) among treatments. Inclusion of COLM significantly reduced serum cholesterol concentration from 101.6 mg dl -1 of the control to 81.8 mg dl -1 in 3% COLM. It was concluded that COLM could be included in broiler finisher diets up to a level of 30 g kg -1 without any deleterious effects. Key words: Chromolaena odorata, broilers, haematology, leaf meal, performance

The paper sought to design and evaluate a simple and affordable drip irrigation system for improving yield in backyard maize in Ghana. The design consisted of locally made system using easily available materials. The system was calibrated to obtain uniform flow. Hydraulic performance of the system was determined. A Randomize Complete Block Design with three depth treatments (T1=0cm, T2= 20cm and T3 = 40cm) and four replications was used. Plant parameters such as height, leaf length, leaf diameter and stem girth were measured weekly. The uniformity coefficient (UC) ranged from 98 to 99.8% signifying excellent water uniformity application. However, Flow and Coefficient of Variation (CV) values were below standard (ranged between 57.62 % to 60.60 % and 19.8 % to 23 % respectively) due to variation in pressure head. Maize growth under the developed drip lines gave good results in all the growth parameters and yield except the T3 but were statistically similar in all the treatments.

The Sumampa River in Mampong-Ashanti in Ghana is a very important river that supplies water to the water processing company for treatment for the whole community and its environs. In spite of its importance, the buffer area of the river has been encroached by settlers. Residential houses sited along the river have channeled their waste water into the river and several anthropo-genic activities go on along the river. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effects of anthropogenic activities on the quality of the river. Water samples were collected from various parts of the river including the source and outflow for physico-chemical and microbial analyses. The results showed that, the water was highly turbid with high total dissolved solids at some points because of intense anthropogenic activities. High turbidity and total dissolved solids greatly influence the microbial load of the water. We therefore recommend that measures are put in place to protect the Sumampa River t...