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- ItemSesame (Sesamum indicum L.) weed infestation, yield and yield components as influenced by sowing method and seed rate in a Sudan Savanna agro-ecology of Nigeria(Academic Joournals, 2007-10) E. O. Imoloame; S. D. Joshua; N. A. GworgworAn experiment on the influence of seed rate and sowing method on sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) weed infestation, yield and yield components was conducted at Maiduguri, Nigeria, during the 2001 and 2002 rainy seasons. A split-plot design was used such that method of planting was allocated to main plots and seed rate was assigned to sub-plots and replicated three times. The site was harrowed, leveled properly using a hand hoe and then marked out. The size of each sub-plot measured 6 x 8 m leaving a distance of 1 m between replications and 0.5 m between sub-plots. Seeds variety Gwoza Local were planted as broadcast and drill at the rate of 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 Kg/ha respectively. Fertilizer Urea ( 46% N ) and Single Superphosphate ( 18% P 2O5 ) were used to supply 75 Kg N/ha and 50 Kg P/ha first at planting and the second dose at 6 weeks after sowing ( WAS ). Weeding was carried out using a hand hoe. Data taken included soil analysis of the experimental site, plant height, number of flowers per plant, weed cover score, weed dry matter, number of pods per plant and grain yield respectively. Results showed that broadcasting method of sowing produced taller plants in 2002 and greater number of flowers and pods per plant in both years and the average of two years data significantly higher weed cover and weed dry matter in 2001 and 2002 and their combined data compared with drilling method. Plant height, number of flowers and pods per plant decreased with increase in seed rate with 15 kg/ha producing significantly lowest of these characters in 2001 and the average of two years data. The amount of weed dry matter and weed cover decreased with increase in seed rate up to 12 Kg/ha with 15 Kg/ha producing the highest in 2001, 2002 and the average of two years data. Similarly, seed rate of 6 Kg/ha produced the highest seed yield compared with higher seed rates in the two years and only in the data on the average of the two years that differences in yield were significant. From this study, best weed suppression and highest yield was obtained from drilling method at seed rate of 6 Kg/ha.
- ItemComparative Evaluation of Organo-mineral fertilizer (OMF) and Mineral Fertilizer (NPK) on yield and quality of maize (Zea mays (L) Moench)(Soil Science Society of Nigeria, 2008-05-12) Adeoye, G.O., M.K.C. Sridhar; O.O. AdeOluwa; M. Oyekunle, E.A. Makinde and Olowoake, A. A
- ItemEconomic assessment of some pre- emergence herbicides in the Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria(Academic Journals, 2010-02) E. O. Imoloame; 1 S. D. Joshua; N. A. GworgworField trials were conducted in 2006 and 2007 cropping seasons at the University of Maiduguri Teaching and Research Farm located in Maiduguri (11°50’N; 13°10’E) to carry out an economic analysis of the use of some pre-emergence herbicides for the production of sesame. The experiment consisted of 22 treatments which included 4 different pre-emergence herbicides applied at 5 different rates viz: butachlor, metolachlor, diuron and pendimethalin at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kg a.i. /ha, weeding at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) and weedy check. The treatment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated 3 times. Result showed that although two hoe weedings resulted in thehighest yield, percentage yield increase over check and income in both years, it was less beneficial and profitable than butachlor at 1.5 and 2.0 kg a.i /ha in 2006 and metolachlor at 1.5 kg a.i./ha in both years. Therefore, metolachlor at 1.5 kg a.i. /ha was more economical, profitable and beneficial than twohoe weedings in the production of sesame in the Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria.
- ItemEffect of pre-emergence herbicides on weed infestation and productivity of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in the Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria(Academic Journals, 2011-02) E. O. Imoloame; S. D. Joshua; N. A. GworgworField trials were conducted in 2006 and 2007 cropping seasons at the University of Maiduguri Teaching and Research Farm located in Maiduguri (11°50’N; 13°10’E), Nigeria, to evaluate the effect of different pre-emergence herbicides on weed infestation and productivity of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) The experiment consisted of 22 treatments, which included 4 different pre-emergence herbicides applied at 5 rates each namely butachlor, metolachlor, diuron and pendimethalin at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kg a.i./ha, weeding at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) and a weedy check. The treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated 3 times. Results showed that diuron at 1.5 to 2.5 kg a.i./ha produced significantly (P<0.05) the least weed cover and dry matter at 3 and 6 WAS, which was comparable with two-hoe-weedings at harvest. Both butachlor at 2.0 kg a.i./ha and metolachlor at 1.5 kg a.i./ha produced significantly (P<0.05) low weed cover score and weed dry matter, which were comparable with the least weed cover score in both trials and their combined means at harvest. Among the herbicides tested, butachlor at 2.0 kg a.i./ha and diuron at 1.0 kg a.i./ha produced significantly (P<0.05) the highest grain yield in 2006, while metolachlor at 1.5 kg a.i./ha produced significantly (P<0.05) the highest grain yield in 2007 and the combined means. For effective weed control and higher yield, metolachlor at 1.5 kg a.i./ha and butachlor at 2.0 kg a.i./ha are recommended as an alternative to two hoe-weedings at 3 and 6 WAS for the production of sesame in the Sudan Savanna zone of Nigeria
- ItemEffect of cultural methods on Striga (Striga hermonthica (Del.)) Benth management and yield of cereals in the Savanna Zone of Nigeria: a review(Taylor and Francis, 2011-08-24) E. O. Imoloame; S. D. JoshuaData were obtained from the research done in the Guinea Savanna (Zaria 11°11′N; 070 38′E) and Sudan Savanna (Maiduguri −11°51′N; 13°15′E) regions of Nigeria, respectively on different cultural methods of Striga control and management. In the Guinea Savanna, trials on the effects of nitrogen on the response of resistant and susceptible upland rice varieties to Striga hermonthica infestation and the effect of resistant and susceptible varieties of maize and crop rotation on Striga infestation was carried out, while the effect of inter-cropping trap crop (Bambaranut) with resistant sorghum varieties on S. hermonthica was studied in the Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria. In the Guinea Savanna, it was observed that a combination of upland rice variety, Faro 40 and an application of 90 kg N/ha in the wet season and WAB 56-50 upland rice variety and 120 kg N/ha in the dry season, respectively reduced Striga infestation and produced maximum grain yield. Also, the growing of resistant variety of maize (Across 97ITZ comp. I-W) after 1 or 2 years' rotation with cowpea or soybean was observed not only to be effective in Striga control, but resulted in higher grain yield of maize. In the Sudan Savanna, the use of resistant varieties of sorghum, 1CSV1002 and 1CSV1007 intercropped with bambaranut significantly reduced Striga infestation, but the grain yield of the resistant varieties was low. From these studies, Faro 40 with 90 kg N/ha application rate and WAB56–50 with 120 kg N/ha were suitable for the management of Striga and for higher grain yield of upland rice in both wet and dry seasons, respectively, while Across 97ITZ comp. I-W, resistant maize variety and 1 or 2 years rotation with cowpea or soybean were also the best for the management of S. hermonthica and for higher maize yield in the Guinea Savanna zone. Further research needs to be carried out in the Sudan Savanna to select a high yielding resistant variety of sorghum which when intercropped with bambaranut will not only control Striga infestation but will also give high grain yield.
- ItemASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF COWPEA (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) VARIETIES IN Striga INFESTED FIELDS IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF NIGERIA(University of Maiduguri, 2011-09-13) N.A. Gworgwor; M.A. Garba' and E.O. Imoloame; and E.O. ImoloameA field trial was conducted in two locations, at the Teaching and Research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri (1 1°50"N, 13° |0'E) and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Technology Transfer Station at Gashua (12°56'N, 11°30'E) which are situated in the semi-arid region of Nigeria. The trials were conducted during the 2004 rainy season in order to assess the response of cowpea varieties to Striga gesnerioides infestation. The experiment consisted of 12 cowpea varieties as treatments viz: IT97K-568-18, IT98K-692, 1T97K-819-118, 1797K-205-8, ITOOK-1060, 1797K-499-35, 1797K-497-2, 1798K-205-10, IT97K-499-38, B-301, Borno brown and Dan' arbain. These treatments were laid in randomised complete block design (RCBD) and replicated 4 times. The data collected include, Striga shoot count, days to 50% flowering, number of pods/plant, number of seeds per pod and grain yield of cowpea. Results show that variettes 7797K-568-18 and IT00-1060 were tolerant to Striga gesnerioides as they supported significant higher Striga population and still produced significantly high grain yield. Variety 1T97K-819-118 was found to be resistant to Striga as it supported low Striga shoots and gave significantly high yield as well. The rest of the cowpea varieties gave low yields. The local variety Dan arbain was also considered tolerant as it supported significant high Striga population and gave high grain yields that were comparable to the maximum. Both the tolerant varieties, 1797K-568-18 and ITO0-1060 produced significantly higher mumber of pods/plant and number of seeds/pod and resulted in significantly higher grain yields which were comparable to the resistant variety, 1797K-819-118 in both locations and the combined mean. Cowpea grain yield was negatively correlated with days to 50% fowering but positively correlated with Striga infestation at 8, 10 and 12 WAS. Variety 1T97K-8/9-118 was found to combine the ability to resist Striga infestation with the production of higher grain yield comparable to the maximum. It could be recommended to farmers in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria. The tolerant varieties should be improved upon through further breeding to be able to resist Striga while maintaining their potential for higher yields. Key words: Striga gesnerioides, copea varieties, resistance, tolerance, Nigeria.
- ItemUtilization of Different Crop Residues as Organic Fertilizer(Enproct Consultants Limited, 2012-04-17) Olowoake, A.A. and Adeoye, G.O.Various organic residues are abundant in the most communities and farms in Nigeria. The management of such organic residues poses a serious problem to community hygiene. Surplus farm waste can be recycled into useful product for meeting the nutrient requirement of crops. Poultry manure, Mucuna husk, Gliricidia leaves and Rice straw were collected and composted to produce organic fertilizer. The estimation of time of maturity of five different compost types; Poultry manure + Mucuna husk (PmMh), Poultry manure + Leaf litter (PmLl), Poultry manure + Rice straw (PmRs), Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Rice straw (PmLlRs) and Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Mucuna husk (PmLlMh) was investigated as well as the effects of the compost on yield of maize in the field. The experimental design was randomized complete block design with three replications. Composting of organic residues of high and low carbon–nitrogen ratios together reduce the composting cycle to 49 days. Significant differences (P< 0.05) were found in plant height, stem girth, leaves area, stover dry weight and grain yield with 1.5 t ha-1 PmLlMh. Grain yield value of maize 3.4 t /ha with PmLlMh at 1.5 t/ha were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of NPK treatment (3.0 t/ha) after the cropping. Thus, from this study it can be deduced that PmLlMh at 1.5 t ha-1 can serve as an alternative to mineral fertilizer.
- ItemRearing the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais , on an artificial maize–cassava diet(2012-06-11) James Adebayo Ojo and Adebayo Amos OmoloyeDry artificial diet pellets prepared with maize, cassava chips, and amino acid supplements (lysine and methionine) were evaluated for mass culture of Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a highly polyphagous pest of many stored grains. Evaluation was done in the laboratory at temperature 26 ± 2 ºC, 60-70% RH, 12:12 L:D photoperiod. The artificial diet was compounded from different proportions of maize (M) variety TZPB-SW-R, cassava (C) variety TMS-2110, and amino acid supplements, and was pelletized into 6 mm diameter pellets on which five pairs of one–day–old S. zeamais were bioassayed. The diet M9C1 (90% M and 10% C) was the most suitable diet with comparatively shorter developmental period (34.8 days) and the highest F1 emergence of progeny (145.4) compared to the control, M10C0 (100% M and 0% C).
- ItemUtilization of Different Crop Residues as Organic Fertilizer.(Enproct Consultants Limited., 2012-07-01) Olowoake, A.A. and Adeoye, G.O.Various organic residues are abundant in the most communities and farms in Nigeria. The management of such organic residues poses a serious problem to community hygiene. Surplus farm waste can be recycled into useful product for meeting the nutrient requirement of crops. Poultry manure, Mucuna husk, Gliricidia leaves and Rice straw were collected and composted to produce organic fertilizer. The estimation of time of maturity of five different compost types; Poultry manure + Mucuna husk (PmMh), Poultry manure + Leaf litter (PmLl), Poultry manure + Rice straw (PmRs), Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Rice straw (PmLlRs) and Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Mucuna husk (PmLlMh) was investigated as well as the effects of the compost on yield of maize in the field. The experimental design was randomized complete block design with three replications. Composting of organic residues of high and low carbon–nitrogen ratios together reduce the composting cycle to 49 days. Significant differences (P< 0.05) were found in plant height, stem girth, leaves area, stover dry weight and grain yield with 1.5 t ha-1 PmLlMh. Grain yield value of maize 3.4 t /ha with PmLlMh at 1.5 t/ha were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of NPK treatment (3.0 t/ha) after the cropping. Thus, from this study it can be deduced that PmLlMh at 1.5 t ha-1 can serve as an alternative to mineral fertilizer.
- ItemVEGETATIVE PERFORMANCE OF MAIZE (Zea Mays L) ON DEGRADED SOIL AS AFFECTED BY COMPOSTED ORGANIC RESIDUES(Published by faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2012-08-02) Olowoake, A.A. and Adeoye, G.O.The evaluation of five different compost types; Poultry manure + Mucuna husk (PmMh), Poultry manure + Leaf Iittet (PrnLl), Pou1ti-y manure +Rice straw (PmRs), Podt~ -f Leaf litter + Rice straw (PmLlRs) and Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Mucuna husk (PrnLlMh) on the performance of maize under greenhouse conditions was investigated. Maize variety ACR 993 1 -DMRSR treated with 1.5,3.5,4.5 and 6.0 t ha-1 each of the compost treatments was used in first cropping, while NPK 15-15-15 applied at 300,400 and 600 kg ha-1 and control (no fertilizer) were also observed in the second cropping. A completely randomized experimental design with 24 treatments in three replications was conducted. Significant differences (p< 0.05) were found in plant height and dry matter yield of maize. N, P and K uptake of maize from 1.5 t ha- 1 PmLlMh were 20.4, 6.2, 21.9 mg-1 pot respectively and these values were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of uptake values obtained from NPK treatment. Residual effect of plant height, dry matter yield and nutrient uptake of maize values obtained from 1.5 ttha PrnLlMh was also significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of NPK values. It was concluded that PmLlMh at 1.5 t - :,ha-l could serve as effective compost fur maize production.
- ItemVEGETATIVE PERFORMANCE OF MAIZE (Zea Mays L) ON DEGRADED SOIL AS AFFECTED BY COMPOSTED ORGANIC RESIDUES(Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2012-08-19) 12. Olowoake A. A. and G.O. AdeoyeThe evaluation of five different compost types; Poultry manure + Mucuna husk (PmMh), Poultry manure + Leaf Iittet (PrnLl), Pou1ti-y manure +Rice straw (PmRs), Podt~ -f Leaf litter + Rice straw (PmLlRs) and Poultry manure + Leaf litter + Mucuna husk (PrnLlMh) on the performance of maize under greenhouse conditions was investigated. Maize variety ACR 993 1 -DMRSR treated with 1.5,3.5,4.5 and 6.0 t ha-1 each of the compost treatments was used in first cropping, while NPK 15-15-15 applied at 300,400 and 600 kg ha-1 and control (no fertilizer) were also observed in the second cropping. A completely randomized experimental design with 24 treatments in three replications was conducted. Significant differences (p< 0.05) were found in plant height and dry matter yield of maize. N, P and K uptake of maize from 1.5 t ha- 1 PmLlMh were 20.4, 6.2, 21.9 mg-1 pot respectively and these values were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of uptake values obtained from NPK treatment. Residual effect of plant height, dry matter yield and nutrient uptake of maize values obtained from 1.5 ttha PrnLlMh was also significantly (p< 0.05) higher than that of NPK values. It was concluded that PmLlMh at 1.5 t ha-l could serve as effective compost fur maize production
- ItemEfficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf powder against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on stored cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp)(Researcher, 2013) Ojo, J. A., Olunloyo, A. A. & Akanni, E. O.Cowpea is a very important grain legume that serves as a source of dietary protein for human consumption, however the grain is widely infested by a number storage insect pests among which Callosobruchus maculatus is a primary field to store pest causing considerably great losses to farmers. Laboratory study was conducted to assess the efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf powder, used as protectant against C. maculatus F. infesting stored cowpea. The bioassays were conducted at six levels of concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 2.0 g/20g seed) of test plant leaf powder and the untreated control (0g/20 g seed). All the different levels of concentrations considerably reduced oviposition and emergence of F1 progeny compared to the control. The mortality of the cowpea beetles was assessed at two days after infestation (2 DAI), 4 DAI, 6 DAI and 7 DAI and the results indicated that the mortality increased with increasing amount of M. oleifera leaf powder, with concentration of 2.0g /20g seed has significantly higher (p > 0.05) mortality compared to the control. Also, different level concentrations significantly protected the seeds in relation to seed damage and seed weight loss caused by C. maculatus compared to the control
- ItemCritical period of weed interference in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) in a humid forest and Rainforest-Savanna transition zones of Eastern and Western Nigeria: A Review(International scholars Journals, 2013-08-19) Imoloame EOData for this review were obtained from the research conducted in Owerri, in the humid forest zone of Nigeria (latitudes 50o 20’N and 50o 27’N and between longitudes 7oE and 7o 07’E) in 2007 and 2008, in Ibadan ( latitude 7o 23', longitude 3o 53'E) and Ogbomosho (latitude 8o 8'N, longitude 4o 16' E) in the rainforest – savanna transition ecological zones. The objective was to determine the critical period of weed control in okra. In both humid forest and rainforest – savanna transition ecological zones, the critical period of weed control was observed to be between 2 weeks after sowing (WAS) and harvest. However in areas dominated by Tithonia diversifolia weeds in the forest-savanna transitional zone, the critical period of weed control in okra was observed to be between 2 and 4 WAS during the rainy season and only one hoe weeding at 2 (WAS) in the dry season was enough.
- ItemHerbicide utilization by farmers in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State(International Scholars Journals, 2013-09) Imoloame E. OA survey was conducted in 2013, to determine the extent of use of herbicides by farmers in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State. Five major villages, namely, Malete, Jehunkunu, Shao, Elemere and Olooru were selected, which constituted a representative sample for the survey. Questionnaires were administered on 150 farmers consisting of 30 farmers each from the above five villages of Moro local Government Area. Results show that a greater percentage of farmers (48.7%) were above the age of 50 years. Also, majority of the respondents (72.2%) were males, married (96.3%), in full-time farming (75.0%) and were mostly illiterate (62.1%). Most of the respondents (79.3%) were subsistence farmers, cultivating between 1 – 6 hectares (ha) of land without access to funds (84.5%). Most of the respondents (55.4%) used herbicides to control weeds on their farms, however, greater percentage of them (56.2%) purchased herbicides from the open market. Furthermore, 100% of the respondents did not calibrate their knapsack sprayer before using it. However, 79.2% of the respondents use one type of protective clothing or the other while applying herbicide, but 20.8% of the respondents did not protect themselves at all during the application of herbicides. It is recommended that farmers need to be subjected to training in the safe and profitable use of herbicides in Moro Local Government Area.
- ItemEvaluation of botanical insecticides against flea beetles Podagrica sjostedti and Podagrica uniforma on okra(International Journal of Advanced Research, 2014) Ojo, J. A., Olunloyo, A. A. & Ibitoye OlufisayoField trials were conducted during 2012 and 2013 cropping season to assess the efficacy of aqueous extract of leaves and bulb of some botanicals for the control of two species of flea beetles (Podagrica sjostedti and Podagrica uniforma), important destructive pests of okra, in Southern Guinea Savannah, Nigeria. Okra variety NHV47-4 was used for the study. The treatments consisted of leaf extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) and pawpaw (Carica papaya), and bulb extract of onion (Allium cepa) and untreated control. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design and replicated three times. Data were collected on abundance of insects a day before botanical application and for the three consecutive days after spraying of insecticides. Yield parameters data collected were number of fruits, weight of fruit and yield of fruits. The results showed that all the extracts of the three botanicals significantly (P ˂ 0.05) reduced the population of the two flea beetles with the least percent efficacy of 56.4% and the highest 83.8%. However, pawpaw leaf extract had highest significant effect (P ˂ 0.05) in reducing the population of the beetles. The order of effectiveness in decreasing sequence was found to be pawpaw leaf extract ˃ neem leaf extract ˃ onion bulb extract. Onion bulb extract showed a moderate level of effectiveness with (63.9%; 56.4%) and (75.6%; 71.1%) on P. uniforma and P. sjostedti in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Pawpaw leaf extract showed the highest level of effectiveness with (79.7%; 81.5%) and (76.5%; 83.8%) on P. uniforma and P. sjostedti in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Higher yield, higher number of fruits and improved fruits’ weight of okra on treated plots indicated the efficacy of these botanicals. However, the effectiveness of neem leaf extract is comparable to pawpaw leaf extract
- ItemUptake and Distribution of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon by Sunflower from Crude Oil Contaminated Soils Using Agro-Industrial Wastes as Soil Amendments.(Environmental Health Scientists Association, Nigeria., 2014-08-06) Adewole, M.B., Ahmed, D.H., Orimoogunje, I.O.O. and Olowoake, A.A.
- ItemEfficacy of organomineral fertilizer and un-amended compost on the growth and yield of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thumb) in Ilorin Southern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria.(International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture (Springer), 2014-09) Ojo, J. A., Olowoake, A. A. & Obembe, A.Background Over the years, the use of organic materials in farming has reduced due to the increase in the use of chemical fertilizers which are rich in readily available plant nutrients. Intensive use of inorganic fertilizers may have depressing effect on yield of watermelon. Field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Kwara State University Malete, Kwara State, Nigeria, to study the effects of different rates of Organomineral fertilizer Grade A, un-amended compost Grade B and NPK mineral fer tilizer on the growth and yield of Citrullus lanatus. Results There were significant differences (P\0.05) among the treatments in relation to vine length, number of leaves, average weight of fruits and yield. NPK at 200 kg/ ha had the highest vine length of 294.67 cm followed by organomineral fertilizer Grade A applied at 2.5 t/ha which had the value of 268.0 cm. Un-amended compost Grade B at 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 t/ha had vine length values of 257.7, 259.0 and 259.7, respectively. All the fertilizer treatments significantly (P\0.05) had higher number of leaves than control. The highest fruit yield of watermelon (36.7 t/ha) was obtained from organomineral fertilizer Grade A at 2.5 t/ha and NPK. Conclusion From this study, the use of organomineral fertilizer in the cultivation of watermelon could be used as alternative to mineral fertilizer, although cost effective but difficult to procure and cannot substantially redress the physical fragility of the soil. It is recommended that or ganomineral fertilizer Grade A at 2.5 t/ha be adopted for watermelon cultivation in the study area
- ItemLife History of the Tamarind Weevil, Sitophilus linearis (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), on Tamarind Seed(Hindawi, 2015-10-19) James Adebayo Ojo and Adebayo Amos OmoloyeThe tamarind weevil, Sitophilus linearis Herbst (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important pest of tamarind and other Caesalpinioideae. Investigating its life history is important in the implementation of management strategy. Its life history was monitored daily to understand its developmental biology on tamarind seed following standard procedures under laboratory conditions of 24–30°C temperature, 60–70% relative humidity, and 12L : 12D photoperiod. The egg incubation period lasted 3.17 ± 0.07 days. A mated female of S. linearis laid an average of 165 ± 5.78 eggs during an oviposition period of 86.8 ± 2.47 days. There were four larval instars, with a total larval developmental period of 16 days. The pupal period lasted 8 days, and adult lived 108.5 ± 3.61 days. The overall growth ratio for the four instars was 1.33. There was a regular relationship and significant correlation () between the stages of larval development and head capsule width.
- ItemSorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) Growth and Yield As Influenced by Weed Infestation, Spacing and Number of Plants/Stand in the Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria(2015 Beth-Bekka Academic Publishers Ltd, 2015-12-18) Emmanuel O. ImoloameField trials were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the College of Agriculture, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria, during the 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons. The aim was to determine the effects of plant spacing and number of plants per stand on weed infestation and yield of sorghum in the southern Guinca savanna of Nigeria. The treatments consisted of three plant spacings at 90 x 60 cm, 75 x 50 cm and 75 x 25 cm, which were allocated to the main plot, while the number of plants per stand, namely: 1 plant, 2 plants 3 plants, 4 plants, 5 plants and 6 plants/stand were allocated to the sub-plots, making a total number of 18 treatments. These treatments were laid out in a split plot arrangement fitted into a randomized complete bock design with three replicates. Parameters measured include weed cover scores, weed dry matter, plant height, 1000-seed weight and grain yield. Results showed that wider plant spacings supported weed infestation that were significantly higher than narrower spacings, though it produced significantly highest grain yield. Number of plants/stand had no significant effect on grain yield. Therefore, spacing at 90 × 60 cm and 1- 6 plants/stand are suitable for the production of higher yields of sorghum in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria.
- ItemComparison of full mitochondrial genomes for the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae and the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)(Elsevier, 2016) James Adebayo Ojo, M. Carmen Valero, Weilin Sun, Brad S. Coates, Adebayo Amos Omoloye, Barry R. PittendrighComplete mitochondrial genome sequences were assembled for the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (17,602 bp) and the maize weevil, S. zeamais (18,105 bp; Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), which encode 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs that is typical among Animalia. The A + T-rich con trol regions of S. oryzae (2818 bp) and S. zeamais (2832 bp) are the longest described to date among curculionoidea (weevils). Additionally, non-coding intergenic regions have increased in size due to expansion of tandem repeat arrays, but is more pronounced in S. zeamais (606 bp) compared to S. oryzae (109 bp). A total of 69 and 22 substitution mutations were found among reads from S. oryzae and S. zeamais, out of which 68 and 2 were predicted in the PCGs respectively, with a majority in NADH Dehydrogenase subunit I. Phylogenet ic analyses of coleopteran insects based upon full mitogenomes PCG sequence supported the existence of Curculionoidea and Tenebrionoidea as a monophyletic group, whereas the Cucujoidea and Elateroidea remain paraphyletic. The mitogenomes of these two Sitophilus species provide insight into short-term evolutionary relationships among curculionid beetles, and provide resources for the potential deciphering of more broad systematic questions in the Order Coleoptera.